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ENCYCLOPEDIA 

— OF — 

CONNECTICUT BIOGRAPHY 

GENEALOGICAL— MEMORIAL 



REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 



Compiled with the Assistance of a 

Capable Corps of Advisers and Contributors 



ILLUSTRATED 



■ 



THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Inc.) 

NEW YORK PUBLISHERS CHICAGO 



foreword 

EACH one of us is "the heir of all 
the ages, in the foremost files of 
time." We build upon the solid 
foundations laid by the strenuous efforts 
of the fathers who have gone before us. 
Nothing is more fitting, and indeed more 
important, than that we should familiar- 
ize ourselves with their work and per- 
sonality; for it is they who have lifted 
us up to the lofty positions from which 
we are working out our separate careers. 
"Lest we forget," it is important that we 
gather up the fleeting memories of the 
past and give them permanent record in 
well-chosen words of biography, and in 
such reproduction of the long lost faces 
as modern science makes possible. 

Samuel Hart. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 






\ 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



LOUNSBURY FAMILY, 

Ancestral History. 

In the public records of the State of 
Connecticut there are many names which 
stand for all that is high, all that is 
worthy, all that makes for public prog- 
ress. But rarely in any State have two 
members of one family risen to the high- 
est office in the gift of the Commonwealth, 
and so commanded the respect of their 
contemporaries and so endeared them- 
selves to the general public that they have 
made their name universally honored and 
cherished. Connecticut holds the name 
of Lounsbury second to none in all her 
history, for the brothers Lounsbury, first 
Phineas C. and later George E., have oc- 
cupied the Governor's chair with honor 
to their name and with wide-reaching 
benefit to the State. In the contemplation 
of the lives of men of this calibre it is 
interesting to trace through former gen- 
erations the spirit which has come down 
to them through the centuries, which 
evolved for the citizens of to-day positive 
and permanent good. 

The significance of the surname, Louns- 
bury, is literally the "Manor or Fort- 
ress De La Lond, or De La Land," and 
carries with it the fundamental meaning 
of sovereignty, inasmuch as at that early 
period of Anglo-Norman history, partic- 
ularly the eleventh, twelfth and thir- 
teenth centuries, land owners were land- 
lords in the best sense of that compound 
word. It first appears as the name of a 
locality in Yorkshire, England, and in one 
of its many forms is still the name of a 
town there called Londesborough. It is 



found in Domesday Book, where it is 
written Lodensburg. The name has been 
spelled in many ways, and among the va- 
rious forms are : Lodensburg, Leone- 
bergh, Lonesburgh, Lounesburgh, Low- 
nesburg, Lowndesbrough and Londes- 
borough. The Church of "Lonesburgh 
or Lonesbeurg," Yorkshire, England, was 
granted to William De Lonesburgh by 
Stephen, King of England, from 1135 to 
1 154. William De Lonesburgh was also 
treasurer of the Church of York. 

(I) Richard Lounsbury, the Colonial 
ancestor of the Lounsbury family in 
America, was a descendant of the De 
Lounsbury family of Yorkshire. During 
the religious wars of the seventeenth cen- 
tury, the period of Puritan and Huguenot 
persecutions, Richard Lounsbury, with 
others, crossed to Leyden, Holland, to 
seek more congenial conditions. There 
he met and married Elizabeth Du Bois, 
of a distinguished and wealthy French 
Huguenot family. Later Richard Louns- 
bury, his wife, and a little company 
who sought the perfect religious freedom 
awaiting them on this side the Atlantic, 
took passage on the "Bonte Koeu," or 
"Spotted Cow," and came to the Amer- 
ican colonies. They settled in Esopus, 
Ulster county, New York, about 1663. 
His name appears on a roll of the Foot 
Company of Militia, Marbletown, Ulster 
county, New York, under the command 
of Captain Daniel Broadhead. Richard 
and Elizabeth (Du Bois) Lounsbury were 
among the first settlers of Rye, New 
York, in Westchester county. The com- 
pany who settled here purchased from 
the Indians lands which extended from 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Long Island sound on the South, to the 
further boundary lines of White Plains 
to the Northwest, and to the nearer boun- 
daries of Norwalk to the Northeast. 
White Plains was then included as a part 
of the New England Colony. The early 
records preserve but a meagre story of 
the struggles and achievements of those 
first pioneers, and even the vital statis- 
tics are in many cases only fragmentary, 
but in the first will ever recorded in this 
settlement Richard Lounsbury bequeathed 
to his son Henry that portion of the land 
in Stamford which had been allotted to 
him. The land purchased from the In- 
dians is still known as the Lounsbury 
Farm. Richard Lounsbury's will is pre- 
served in the White Plains Land Rec- 
ords. 

(II) Henry Lounsbury, son of Rich- 
ard and Elizabeth (Du Bois) Lounsbury, 
was born August 15, 1684, in Stamford, 
Connecticut, and died there in 1763. He 
married Mercy Scofield, born October 30, 
1690, daughter of John and Hannah 
(Mead) Scofield. 

(III) Nathan Lounsbury, son of Henry 
and Mercy (Scofield) Lounsbury. was 
born in 1722, and died in 1793. He mar- 
ried, March 22, 1759, Mrs. Elizabeth (See- 
ley) Tallmadge, born September 25, 
1734, daughter of Nathaniel and Eliza- 
beth (Holly) Seeley, and widow of Jon- 
athan Tallmadge. 

(IV) Enos Lounsbury, son of Nathan 
and Elizabeth (Seeley-Tallmadge) Louns- 
bury, was born May 31, 1763, and died in 
1816. He served in the Revolutionary 
War during the latter part of that strug- 
gle, being less than eighteen years of age 
when he received an honorable discharge, 
January I, 1781. He married (second), 
August 3, 1796, Catee Waterbury, born 
March 12, 1766, daughter of Isaac W. 
and Thankful (Scofield) Waterbury. 

Through the Waterbury family also 



the present members of the Lounsbury 
family trace their ancestry back to the 
early New England pioneers. John Wat- 
erbury was born in Suffolk County, Eng- 
land, about 1620. He came to America 
about 1641, and settled first at Water- 
town, Massachusetts. Later he sold his 
land holdings there, and in 1646 removed 
to Stamford, Connecticut. He was 
granted a parcel of land there in 1650, and 
died in Stamford, July 31, 1658. He mar- 
ried Rose Lockwood. Lieutenant L>avid 
Waterbury, their son, born about 1650, 
in Stamford, Connecticut, served in King 
Philip's War. He died November 20, 
1706. He married (first) Hannah New- 
man, born October 29, 1657, daughter of 
William Newman. John Waterbury, 
their son, was born January 25, 1682, died 
January 20, 1736. He married, December 
4, 1710, Sussanah Newkirk. Isaac W. 
Waterbury, their son, was born about 
1728. He married, February 4, 1750 or 
1751. in Bedford, New York, Thankful 
Scofield. Their daughter, Catee, born 
March 12, 1766, became the wife of Enos 
Lounsbury, as above noted. 

(V) Nathan Lounsbury, son of Enos 
and Catee (Waterbury) Lounsbury, was 
born April 13, 1807, m Stamford, Con- 
necticut, and died April 2j, 1894, in Ridge- 
field, Connecticut. He was a prosperous 
and public-spirited citizen of Fairfield 
county, highly respected by all who 
knew him. He married, July 9, 1828, in 
Poundridge, New York, Delia A. Scofield, 
daughter of Henry and Azubah (Ray- 
mond) Scofield. She was born January 
28, 1809, in Patterson, New York, and 
died February 21, 1895, in Ridgefield. 
Connecticut. Their children were: 1. 
Matilda, born April 16, 1829, died 1867; 
married Francis Ouintard, of Norwalk, 
Connecticut. 2. William, born June 12. 
1831, died October 19, 1874; married, 
March 1, 1871, Caroline Augusta Youngs, 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



born October 7, 1850. 3. Sarah E., mar- 
ried Nelson B. Sherwood; she died Octo- 
ber 1, 1896. 4. Ann E., married Joel L. 
Rockwell. 5. George E. (q. v.)- 6. Phin- 
eas Chapman (q. v.). 



LOUNSBURY, George Edward, 

Fortieth Governor of Connecticut. 

There are men upon whom the world 
looks as individuals. There are men 
whose breadth of character reaches out 
only to the little circle about them. Then 
there are men to whom all the world is 
brother, who in heart and deed, as well 
as in the spoken word, extend the hand of 
fellowship to every man be he king or 
laborer. This was the man which those 
who knew him best saw in George Ed- 
ward Lounsbury, fortieth Governor of the 
State of Connecticut. This was not an 
attitude with him. It was the sincere ex- 
pression of a great soul, attuned to catch 
the harmony of life through whatever 
turmoil might arise. He saw good in 
everything, read faith and high aspira- 
tion in every human character. De- 
scended from a long line of ancestors who 
had held positions of honor in public life, 
and who had been successful in a material 
way, he was still a man of simple, whole- 
some tastes, while at the same time he 
filled with dignity and grace every pub- 
lic duty which devolved upon him. 

(VI) George Edward Lounsbury was 
born May 7, 1838, the fifth child of Na- 
than and Delia A. (Scofield) Lounsbury 
(q.v.). He received his early education 
in the public schools of his native town, 
Ridgefield, Connecticut. Here he became 
thoroughly grounded in the elementary 
studies which are so important a founda- 
tion for future scholarship. He taught 
school for three years, and in this prac- 
tical application of knowledge attained 
won an added mental power which placed 



him at a distinct advantage in his later 
studies. He entered Yale University, 
from which he was graduated in 1863. 
He then took a course in preparation for 
the ministry, a field of usefulness which 
had come to him with a strong appeal. 
He was graduated from Berkeley Divin- 
ity School, Middletown, in 1866. The 
young man's genius for oratory gave 
promise of a wonderful career which 
should be a power, for the upbuilding of 
the church. He was in charge of the 
Episcopal church in Suffield for some 
time, then later was placed in charge of 
the parish in Thompsonville. He was 
very popular with the people in both par- 
ishes, his earnest piety and thorough 
manliness giving force and meaning to 
the eloquent words which they heard from 
his lips in the pulpit. For with him re- 
ligion was a matter of daily living, a prin- 
ciple to be applied to all problems, not 
mere theory to be expounded at stated 
intervals and laid aside with the vest- 
ments worn on those occasions. 

A radical change in the young man's 
plans for the future was made imperative 
by the development of a serious throat 
trouble. It became impossible for him to 
continue regular public speaking, and he 
finally gave up the ministry. In 1868 he 
became associated with his brother in 
Norwalk, Connecticut, in the manufacture 
of shoes. The utilitarian side of his nature 
here found expression, and one of his 
most positive characteristics was his 
wholesome conviction that the practical 
things of life have a dignity of their own 
which is second to nothing. Here also he 
found scope for unlimited good in the 
true spirit of brotherhood with which he 
met the workmen in the factory. He was 
a man mong them, while his position as 
one of the executive force was by no 
means disregarded in their attitude to- 
ward him. Fearless on public questions, 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



intensely interested in the public welfare, 
and gifted with the ability to sway men in 
argument, it was but natural that he 
should find a warm reception in the poli- 
tical world. His choice was the Repub- 
lican party, and this organization appre- 
ciated to the full the force he would be in 
the forwarding of the party interests. It 
was soon clearly evident that party in- 
terests, as such, were subservient in the 
mind of this new leader to the public 
good. The party found that a wise and just 
move would have his unqualified support, 
but anything which savored of mere par- 
tisanship would bring out a counter pro- 
posal which his contagious enthusiasm 
would at once make popular. Fairfield 
county knew him, and with unbounded 
confidence in his future the Twelfth Dis- 
trict made him more and more their 
leader as time passed. In 1895 they nom- 
inated him for Senator, and he was elec- 
ted by a gratifying majority. His legis- 
lative career was marked from the outset 
by the same fearless utterances which had 
given him a leading position in the home 
county. He was made chairman of the 
Committee on Finance, and his business 
experience, together with his sound com- 
mon sense, brought about a distinct im- 
provement in the work of that committee. 
He was again elected Senator from the 
same district, in 1897, an d during this 
term served as chairman of the Commit- 
tee on Humane Institutions. In this con- 
nection it may be said that he did much 
practical good in the prepartion of bills 
which related to the management of va- 
rious institutions of this nature through- 
out the State. In all his senatorial rec- 
ord he exemplified those ideals which he 
had always held and had made the very 
fabric of his public utterances. 

So it was with the greatest confidence 
that the Republican party placed the 
name of George Edward Lounsbury 



in the field in the Gubernatorial election 
of 1898. He was nominated without seri- 
ous opposition, and as in the case of his 
senatorial elections he won by a most sat- 
isfactory majority. Throughout his ad- 
ministration he held the respect and con- 
fidence of the people as well as the loyal 
co-operation of his party. It may safely 
be said of him that he was master to an 
unusual degree of the art of knowing 
when to speak and when to keep silent. 
His addresses to the different branches 
of the Legislature were masterly ex- 
amples of oratory, but except in rare cases 
were terse and strictly to the point. The 
practical trend of his administration is 
evidenced by the fact that he reduced the 
debt of the State one million dollars. 

The Governor's retirement from public 
life was not coincident with his relin- 
quishment of his business interests. He 
continued actively interested in business 
for a considerable time thereafter. He 
was president of the First National Bank 
of Ridgefield, and during all the period of 
his residence there was much sought by 
business men in an advisory capacity. 
When he finally gave up all active busi- 
ness, he still spent a large part of his 
time in managing and improving the fine 
farm which has been his home for many 
years. He always made use of the most 
up-to-date methods in farming, and as a 
result the products of the place were of 
the finest. He gave freely of his bounty, 
not only to his immediate and personal 
friends, but saw to it that even- needy 
family of his acquaintance, or which 
might be brought to his attention, should 
be provided with a generous share of such 
comforts and delicacies as the farm af- 
forded. Many individuals over a wide 
section in that part of the State have 
reason to recall with feelings of warmest 
affection and admiration the picturesque 
gentleman of the old school, whose eye 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



kindled with genuine friendliness for ev- 
ery one who greeted him. 

A man's possessions are but a poor 
addition to the review of his personality 
and achievements. But it would be im- 
possible to complete even a sketch of 
Ex-Governor Lounsbury's career without 
some mention of his wonderful library. 
Possessed of literary ability of a fine or- 
der, he was a lifelong collector of books. 
He lived with his books and lived in them, 
and they also lived in him and in a meas- 
ure worked out in his public activities the 
best thought that has been immortalized 
on the printed page. His books were his 
closest friends, and to him a worthy ideal 
expounded in crisp new binding was as 
rich a treasure as the rarest old first edi- 
tion of an early master of literature. A 
simple tribute published soon after his 
death, August 16, 1904, expressed the uni- 
versal sentiment among his friends. It 
was as follows : 

The Connecticut men who knew him will keep 
pleasant and kindly memories of George E. 
Lounsbury. He was a pleasant, kindly man. The 
enjoyment which he took in sharing the treasure 
of his orchard with his friends was a character- 
istic trait. An attractive gentleman, he was al- 
ways a good friend. It is with regret that we say 
farewell to him. 



LOUNSBURY, Phineas Chapman, 

Banker, Statesman, Ex-Governor of Con- 
necticut. 

Any man who for the greater part of a 
long lifetime has stood before the public 
has received from many sources the 
meaningless adulation which is the meed 
of fame. But long before he reached the 
zenith of his powers he learned to prize, 
in the kindling eye and the deepened 
voice, the unstudied response of the peo- 
ple to his giving of himself. The Hon. 
Phineas Chapman Lounsbury, of Ridge- 
field, Connecticut, retired banker and Ex- 



Governor, has won his share of these un- 
spoken laurels, for he is to-day as he al- 
ways has been close to the people — "a 
friend to man." 

(VI) Phineas Chapman Lounsbury 
was born in the town of Ridgefield, Janu- 
ary 10, 1841, the sixth child of Nathan and 
Delia A. (Scofield) Lounsbury (q. v.). 
Descended from a long line of high- 
minded, public-spirited ancestors, and 
personally gifted with those qualities of 
mind and heart which command spon- 
taneous respect, he is a man peculiarly 
fitted to handle large interests. His child- 
hood and youth were spent on the farm, 
where was laid the foundation for the 
splendid health which he has enjoyed 
during his later years. He received a 
thorough academic education, and entered 
a business career with the organization 
of the firm of Lounsbury Brothers. They 
manufactured shoes, the factory being 
first located in New Haven, Connecticut, 
then in South Norwalk, same State, when 
the firm name was changed to Lounsbury, 
Mathewson & Company. Here the bus- 
iness was more broadly developed, the fa- 
cilities and equipment being much more 
advantageous. The firm became widely 
known for the excellence of its product 
and for the honorable dealings which 
were the basis of its business policy. As 
the head of the firm Mr. Lounsbury soon 
became a man of more than local note 
and was sought by business men in many 
sections for advice on monetary affairs. 
He became a member of the Merchants' 
Exchange National Bank, of New York 
City, and won so high a place in the es- 
teem of that important institution that in 
1885 he was elected its president by 
unanimous vote. This bank was organized 
in 1829 with a capital of one million dol- 
lars, then an enormous sum of money, 
and his position at the head of the insti- 
tution gave Mr. Lounsbury a leading 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



place among the great financiers of the 
country. It was not long after his first 
connection with the Merchant's Exchange 
National that he was also made a director 
of the Atlantic National Bank, of New 
York. He has been a director of the 
American Banknote Company, of New 
York, for forty-five years, and is the last 
surviving corporator of the Washington 
Trust Company of that city. For many 
years he was actively interested in other 
enterprises and was a valued adviser, to 
which he added a sane appraisal of a 
critical situation, and he possessed a fear- 
less courage in going forward along any 
line which he approved. Although this 
multiplicity of interests in New York de- 
manded much of his time, he was during 
all of his business career closely identi- 
fied with his manufacturing interests in 
this State, upon which he still keeps an 
over-sight. One of his most cherished 
mementoes of his active business life was 
presented to him upon his completion, in 
1919, of forty years service as a member 
of the board of directors of the Atlantic 
National Bank. It was the finest ex- 
ample of the watchmaker's art which 
could be obtained, and was presented by 
his associates as a token of their esteem, 
accompanied by the following resolutions : 

At the completion of forty years of service in 
the management of the bank by our Chairman, 
Phineas C. Lounsbury, having in mind the many 
benefits which have accrued to this institution 
through his long and faithful services, and the 
success that has attended his watchful care of the 
interests of the stockholders, during the vicissi- 
tudes of more than a generation, 

Be it Resolved, That Kimball C. Atwood, Da- 
vid L. Luke and Lorenzo Benedict be, and here- 
by are appointed a committee authorized to pre- 
sent to Governor Lounsbury, on behalf of the 
bank, a token suitably inscribed to show its ap- 
preciation of his valuable services, with the con- 
gratulations of the board on his achievements, 
and the hope that he may long continue to par- 
ticipate in the active management of the bank. 



But to the people of Connecticut Ex- 
Governor Lounsbury's political career 
holds a deeper significance than his long 
and honorable career in the business 
world. He exercised the franchise at the 
first election after he reached his major- 
ity, casting his first vote in 1862. Then, 
as now, he supported the Republican 
party. He was one of the first to enlist 
at the breaking out of hostilities between 
the North and South, and served as a 
private in the Seventeenth Connecticut 
Volunteers. He was honorably dis- 
charged after several months on account 
of serious illness. Later he was recom- 
mended for a pension. While he deeply 
appreciated this recognition of his serv- 
ices, he declined the emolument since he 
had no need of it. 

During the period following the war, 
he labored with unflagging zeal in the re- 
construction of the old order, which was 
as real and vital a problem in the North 
as it was in the South. His party was 
not slow to recognize in the young man 
the possibilities of leadership. In 1874 
the Republicans of the town of Ridge- 
field elected him to represent the town in 
the State House of Representatives. The 
temperance question was one of the live 
issues of the campaign, and it was largely 
his attitude in regard to it that won him 
success. In this broader field the tal- 
ents which had been recognized in the 
home environment were at once acclaimed 
by the assembled Republicans, and they 
placed in his hands the more weighty and 
important issues which held their inter- 
est. In short he speedily became a leader. 
His business experience, together with the 
sane and practical way in which he ap- 
plied it to the proceedings of a commit- 
tee or the handling of a debate, contrib- 
uted largely to the success of the meas- 
ures for which he labored. He was a 



8 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



member of the committee which framed 
the rigid local option laws of the State. 

As an orator Ex-Governor Lounsbury 
has made a lasting impression on the peo- 
ple of the State, as well as on his col- 
leagues at the Capitol. During the pres- 
idential campaign of 1884 he addressed 
great gatherings in the interests of James 
G. Blaine. His eloquence evoked the 
most laudatory comment on the occasion 
of the dedication at Woodstock, in 1886, 
of the monument to the Sons of Connec- 
ticut who lost their lives on the field of 
Gettysburg. The personal magnetism 
which has been a part of his success in 
the political field made him readily sug- 
gestable for the highest office in the gift 
of the State. In 1882 his name was en- 
thusiastically mentioned for Governor, 
but for party reasons it was withdrawn 
and the nomination was given to the Hon. 
William H. Bulkeley, brother of Ex-Gov- 
ernor Morgan G. Bulkeley. In 1884 many 
friends again desired Mr. Lounsbury's 
nomination, but it was finally given to Mr. 
Harrison. In 1886 the sentiment was 
overwhelming for Mr. Lounsbury, who 
had worked loyally for the success of the 
previous candidates. At the convention 
in Hartford in 1886 he was unanimously 
nominated for Governor on the first bal- 
lot. His popularity with the people was 
substantially demonstrated at the polls, 
and on January 6,' 1887, Phineas Chap- 
man Lounsbury was inaugurated Gover- 
nor of the State of Connecticut. During 
the two years which his term of office 
covered, he fulfilled the most confident 
prophesies of his friends and administered 
wisely the trust placed in his hands by 
the people of the State. A law which 
has been called one of the most important 
of his administration is the "Incorrigible 
Criminals Act." This law provides for 
the detention for a long period of any 
criminal convicted twice of any offense 



for which the penalty is not less than two 
years. The justification of the severity 
of such measures is that primarily the 
state prison is for the protection of so- 
ciety. The Ex-Governor's own argument 
for the bill was that as a mad dog or a 
tiger must be confined for the safety of 
the public, so the man who has shown 
himself to be devoid of honor must be 
imprisoned permanently, not allowed to 
prey upon the community. The vote upon 
this Act was unanimous. His entire ad- 
ministration was marked by a frank and 
consistent deference to the highest stand- 
ards of right and a never failing consid- 
eration of the welfare of the people. The 
rare tribute of praise from an opponent 
was paid him by the "Hartford Times," 
the leading Democratic paper of the State, 
at the close of his term of office, as fol- 
lows : 

Governor Lounsbury retires from the executive 
office to-morrow, with a record alike creditable 
to him as a man and as an official. While our 
political preference did not favor his election to 
the chief magistracy of the state, and while we 
had, in the outset, some doubts as to the probable 
methods of his official course, we may frankly say 
at this time that we are satisfied that he has been 
one of the best governors Connecticut has ever 
had. We have found in Governor Lounsbury a 
gentleman of sterling integrity, of unfailing cour- 
tesy, gifted with excellent business tact, and in- 
clined to administer the affairs of the state on 
business principles and with a view to economy 
and efficiency in every matter requiring his offi- 
cial consideration and action. Governor Louns- 
bury unquestionably retires from office with the 
respect and hearty good feeling of every one, ir- 
respective of party, with whom he has been 
brought into official or personal relations. 

Such is the record and such the people's 
appreciation of the thirty-fifth Governor 
of the State of Connecticut. 

In the rapidly thinning ranks of the 
Grand Army of the Republic, Ex-Gover- 
nor Lounsbury is a prominent figure. He 
is a member of the Edwin D. Pickett Post, 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



of Stamford. He is one of the two still 
living of the one hundred and sixty-two 
volunteers in the Civil War who enlisted 
from Ridgefield. He is a member of the 
Union League and Republican clubs of 
New York City, and is a member of Jer- 
usalem Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted 
Masons ; and Eureka Chapter, Royal Arch 
Masons. He has always been a devoted 
and consistent member of the Methodist 
Episcopal church, and an active and in- 
fluential layman in the deliberations of 
the church gatherings. He served as a 
lay delegate to the General Conference in 
1888, and has since served in many sim- 
ilar capacities. For many years he has 
been a trustee of Wesleyan University, 
Middletown, Connecticut, from which in- 
stitution he received the degree of Doc- 
tor of Laws in 1887. 

Ex-Governor Lounsbury married, in 
1867, Jennie Wright, daughter of Neziah 
Wright, one of the founders of the Amer- 
ican Bank Note Company. The home 
in Ridgefield is one of the most beautiful 
estates in Connecticut, comprising seven- 
ty-five acres in rolling lawns adorned 
with many varieties of flowers and fine 
trees. The Lounsbury home has always 
been the center of the most genial hospi- 
tality, and here Ex-Governor Lounsbury 
is at his best, for added to the dignity 
with which he meets the public is the 
wholesouled charm of the man as a host. 



LOUNSBURY, Charles Hugh, 

Manufacturer, Man of Affairs. 

When a man has won his way to suc- 
cess in the business world he has learned 
much of practical value. The use of this 
knowledge in the administration of pub- 
lic affairs, and in the management of 
economic institutions, constitutes a gen- 
uine service to mankind. The city which 
can command the loyal cooperation of her 



successful business men is the city which 
holds a leading place in the march of 
progress. Stamford, Connecticut, counts 
among the names of real significance to 
the community that of Charles Hugh 
Lounsbury, formerly manufacturer, now 
banker and merchant of that city. 

(II) Michael Lounsbury, son of Rich- 
ard and Elizabeth (Du Bois) Lounsbury 
(q. v.), was also a prominent man in the 
community, as the detailed records show. 
He was born in Rye, New York, and 
came to Stamford, Connecticut, about 
1703. Book A, of Stamford Land Rec- 
ords, page 410, records that on January 
25, 1702 or 1703, he bought from Samuel 
Webb for the sum of £43 10s. seven 
acres of upland on the west side of Mill 
river, and woodland on Pepper Weed 
Ridge, near Taunton. In 1706 or 1707 
he obtained twenty-seven acres in the 
Rocky Neck, and in the same year other 
land in partnership with Edmond Lock- 
wood, whose sister Sarah he married, 
June 19, 1707. Records of the town of 
Rye show that in the year 1709 he sold 
land there which he had inherited from 
his father. He was chosen highway sur- 
veyor at a Stamford town meeting, De- 
cember 15, 1719, and again on January 5, 
1725 or 1726. On December 18, 1722, he 
was one of the collectors chosen to 
"gather ye Revarant Mr. Davenport's 
rate." He died January 20, 1730. 

Robert Lockwood, grandfather of Sa- 
rah (Lockwood) Lounsbury, was one of 
the early Massachusetts settlers. He 
came from England about 1630, and set- 
tled in Watertown, Massachusetts. He 
was made a freeman, March 9, 1636, and 
in 1646 removed to Fairfield, Connecti- 
cut, where he died in 1658. His widow, 
Susannah, died December 23. 1660. Jon- 
athan Lockwood, their son, was born 
September 10, 1634, in Watertown, Mas- 
sachusetts, and died May 12, 1688, in 



10 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Greenwich, Connecticut. He was in 
Stamford, October i6 ; 1660, and lived 
there for five years. He removed to 
Greenwich, and became a freeman in 
1670. He was one of the twenty-seven 
original proprietors of that town, served 
in the Legislature, and held several minor 
offices. He married Mary Ferris, daugh- 
ter of Jeffrey Ferris, who was a freeman 
in Boston in 1635. Sarah Lockwood, 
their daughter, married, June 19, 1707, 
Michael Lounsbury, as above noted. 

(III) Joshua Lounsbury, son of Mich- 
ael and Sarah (Lockwood) Lounsbury, 
was born in Stamford, Connecticut, July 
1, 1716. He was a prosperous man, and 
his name appears in the records of many 
land transactions. One of these was the 
purchase of a triangular tract lying di- 
rectly in front of the present (1919) site 
of the Methodist Episcopal church. At 
some time between the years 1757 and 
1774 he moved over the line into the Col- 
ony of New York, for in the latter year 
his name appears in the North Castle 
Land Records as a resident of that town. 
His first wife, whom he married May 3, 
1739, was Hannah Scofield, born Decem- 
ber 11, 1718. She was the mother of his 
children, and died in Stamford, March 20, 
1750. She was a daughter of Samuel and 
Hannah Scofield. Joshua Lounsbury's 
will was the fifth on record in the Surro- 
gate Court at White Plains, and is found 
in Book A, page 10, dated May 28, 1787. 
It was proved December 12, 1787, and 
mentions his wife, Martha, his eldest 
daughter, Hannah Smith ; his second 
daughter, Sarah Brown ; his youngest 
daughter, Lydia Southerland ; his son, 
Joshua, Jr. ; his grandson, Silas, son of 
Joshua, Jr. ; and his granddaughters, 
Martha and Mary Ann Southerland. His 
second wife, Martha Lounsbury, died 
January 14, 1813, aged eighty-eight years. 

(IV) Joshua (2) Lounsbury, son of 



Joshua (1) and Hannah (Scofield) Louns- 
bury, was born October 4, 1745, and died 
April 4, 1826. He was a dutiful son and 
a devoted husband and father. With the 
flower of the colonies he took a loyal part 
in the struggle for Independence in the 
Revolutionary War, but survived without 
being seriously incapacitated. He mar- 
ried Susannah Smith, born October 3, 
1752. 

(V) Silas Lounsbury, son of Joshua 
(2) and Susannah (Smith) Lounsbury, 
was born January 17, 1771. He was a 
farmer, and lived for many years in Stan- 
wich, Connecticut. He was a man of pro- 
gressive ideas, who thought ahead of his 
time and built for the future of his chil- 
dren. 

(VI) George Lounsbury, son of Silas 
Lounsbury, was a prominent citizen of 
Fairfield county, Connecticut. He served 
in local public offices and as a member of 
the State Legislature. For many years 
he was a merchant at Long Ridge, in the 
town of Stamford, but later returned to 
the life of the open, which had interested 
him as a boy, and conducted a farm. He 
married Louisa Scofield, daughter of Ben- 
jamin Scofield, and they were the parents 
of eight children : Mary, who married 
Seth S. Cook; Sarah, who married James 
H. Rowland ; Susan, who married Philip 
Clark ; Harriet, deceased ; George, de- 
ceased ; Charles Hugh, of whom further ; 
Jane E., living; Elizabeth, deceased. 

(VII) Charles Hugh Lounsbury, son 
of George and Louisa (Scofield) Louns- 
bury, was born August 19, 1839. He 
spent his boyhood on the farm at Long 
Ridge, but as he grew to manhood he 
felt the restrictions of the life and chose 
to branch out for himself. He entered 
into a partnership with Scofield & Cook. 
Three years later, in 1861, F. B. Scofield 
retired from the business, which was 
thereafter carried on under the firm name 



II 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



of Cook & Lounsbury. The manufacture 
of shoes was becoming an important in- 
dustry in New England, and this firm 
held a high standard of excellence in its 
product. The business grew with the 
growth of the section and the develop- 
ment of the country. The partnership 
continued until 1884, when a period en- 
sued when general trade changes made 
reorganization advisable. The first change 
in the business was that of location, the 
factory being removed to the more pop- 
ulous part of the town near the railroad 
tracks. At this time, George H. Soule, 
a bright, alert young man who had for 
some time been connected with the sales 
department, was admitted to membership 
with the firm, and the senior member, 
Seth S. Cook, withdrew. This placed 
Mr. Lounsbury at the head of the firm and 
the name became Lounsbury & Soule. 

In 1885 tne fi rm to °k a l° n & ste P ahead 
in assuming possession of the new fac- 
tory on Broad street where the business 
is still located. The factory was equipped 
with the most modern machinery, and 
from that day until the present time the 
policy of the firm has remained the same, 
up-to-date equipment, the most improved 
methods, and always quality the first con- 
sideration. 

In 1894 the firm branched out into the 
retail trade, purchasing a store at No. 
26 Atlantic street. Here they conducted 
a thriving retail business under the name 
of the Stamford Shoe Company. They 
met the needs of the retail trade with the 
same comprehensive attention to all per- 
tinent details which has always charac- 
terized their manufacturing business. 
Later Mr. Lounsbury retired and the 
company was then incorporated. Late 
in the year 1904 he became president of 
the Stamford Savings Bank, and since 
that time this interest has almost exclu- 
sively held his attention. He still owns 



the Stamford Shoe Company, which be- 
came his personal property when he re- 
tired from the firm. 

Mr. Lounsbury has always held the 
keenest interest in the public welfare and 
civic progress. While never seeking po- 
litical preferment, and caring nothing for 
the game for its own sake, he never shirks 
any part in the public service which ap- 
peals to him as a duty. His political 
convictions hold him loyal to the Repub- 
lican party. He has been a member of the 
Board of Burgesses and of the City Coun- 
cil, also of the Board of Trade, of which 
he was president for some years. He is 
a director of the Stamford Trust Com- 
pany and of the Stamford Savings Bank, 
and is secretary and assistant treasurer of 
the Stamford Gas and Electric Company, 
and a director of the Stamford National 
Bank. He is also a director of the Stam- 
ford Hospital. He is a member of Union 
Lodge, No. 5, Ancient Free and Accepted 
Masons, of Stamford, and also of the 
Suburban Club. 

Mr. Lounsbury married, in Stamford, 
Anna Perry Samuel, of St. Louis, and 
they are the parents of three daughters: 
Alice ; Mary ; Louise, who was the wife 
of William P. Hudson, and was the mo- 
ther of two children, Florence, deceased, 
and Charles H. L., who was an ensign in 
the Navy during the European War. 



LOCKWOOD FAMILY, 

Ancestral History. 

The Lockwood family is of ancient 
English origin, the name being mentioned 
in Domesday Book, which dates it back 
over eight hundred years. A place of the 
name in Staffordshire, England, is cele- 
brated for the medical quality of the 
water of its springs. There was also a 
town of Lockwood in Yorkshire, Eng- 
land. In the reign of Edward III., one 



12 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



John Lockwood was attached to the royal 
party, fought at Naseby, and was there 
wounded, 1327, 1377. In 1392 the name 
of John Lockwood is mentioned. In 1470 
the Lockwood estates passed to the Hen- 
shaws by marriage. The name is often 
spelled Lokewood and Lockewood, and 
is a compound word formed thus : Locke 
or Lock referring to a dweller in or by 
an enclosure or confine, and wod, wode, 
which is old English wudu, meaning 
wood. Hence a remote ancestor of the 
family dwelt in a clearing or by the side 
of a large wood and which gave him his 
name. The American branch of the race 
was founded nearly three centuries ago 
by Robert and Edmund Lockwood, who 
came with Winthrop's company to Mas- 
sachusetts. Their descendants were 
largely represented in the Colonial and 
Revolutionary wars, and at all periods in 
our history have proved themselves 
worthy and patriotic citizens. The fam- 
ily is entitled to display the following es- 
cutcheon which was granted in 1530 to 
the Rev. Richard Lockwood, rector of 
Dingley, Northamptonshire, England: 

Arms — Argent, a fesse between three martlets 
sable. 

Crest — On the stump of an oak tree erased 
proper a martlet sable. 

Motto — Tutus in undis. (Secure against the 
waves.) 

(I) Robert Lockwood, founder of the 
Stamford and Greenwich branch of the 
family, settled in Watertown, Massachu- 
setts, in 1630, and in 1637 was made a 
freeman. In 1646 he removed to Fairfield, 
Connecticut, where he was made a free- 
man in 1652, and became a man of promi- 
nence in the community. He married 

Susannah , and his death occurred 

in Fairfield, in 1658. His widow married 
(second) Jeffrey Ferris, and survived un- 
til 1680. 

(II) Lieutenant Jonathan Lockwood, 



son of Robert and Susannah Lockwood, 
was born September 10, 1634, in Water- 
town, Massachusetts. On January 1, 
1657, at Easttowne, New Netherlands, 
signed a paper promising allegiance to 
the Dutch governor "so long as we live 
in his jurisdiction." In 1660 he was of 
Stamford, Connecticut, where he lived 
until 1665. He then sold his estate and 
removed to Greenwich. In 1670 he was 
made a freeman, in 1671 assistant, and in 
1672 became "one of the twenty-seven 
proprietors." During four years he rep- 
resented the town in the Legislature. His 
wife was Mary (sometimes called Ma- 
rah), daughter of Jeffrey Ferris. Lieu- 
tenant Lockwood passed away May 12, 
1688, and a town meeting was called at 
which resolutions were adopted expres- 
sive of the loss sustained by the commun- 
ity in the death of such a man. 

(III) Still John Lockwood, son of 
Jonathan and Mary (Ferris) Lockwood, 
was born about 1674, in Greenwich, Con- 
necticut. The name of his wife is un- 
known. His death occurred in 1758. 

(IV) Jonathan (2) Lockwood, son of 
Still John Lockwood, was born in 1719, 
in Greenwich, Connecticut. He married 
Mercy . He died January 24, 1798. 

(V) Frederick Lockwood, son of Jon- 
athan (2) and Mercy Lockwood, was born 
February 3, 1763, in Greenwich, Connec- 
ticut. He acted as executor of his father's 
estate. He married Deborah Reynolds, 
born May 24, 1766, daughter of Nathaniel 
and Sarah (Lockwood) Reynolds, grand- 
daughter of Nathan Lockwood, great- 
granddaughter of Gershom Lockwood, 
great-great-granddaughter of Jonathan 
Lockwood, and great-great-great-grand- 
daughter of Robert Lockwood, the immi- 
grant. Frederick Lockwood died in 1808. 
His widow passed away in 1857, after she 
had entered her ninety-first year. 

(VI) Captain Uriah Lockwood, son of 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Frederick and Deborah (Reynolds) Lock- 
wood, was born September i8, 1805. He 
was a farmer, running a market sloop 
from Mianus to New York City. He mar- 
ried, September 24, 1827, Rebecca Smith, 
daughter of Joseph and Rebecca (Mills) 
Smith, of Stamford, and the children of 
Mr. and Mrs. Smith were: Samuel, Abra- 
ham, George, Abigail, Polly, Nancy, Re- 
becca, born January 19, 1804; Alexander, 
and Joseph. Children of Captain and 
Mrs. Lockwood : 1. Henry Smith, of 
further mention. 2. William A., born 
March 9, 1830, died September 3, 183 1. 3. 
Frederick Mills, born March 21, 1832, 
died October 21, 1892; married, Septem- 
ber 15, 1864, Margaret A., daughter of 
Edward Hewes, and their children were: 
Frederick, born September 22, 1865, and 
Mary E., born May 22, 1868, both of 
whom are now deceased, each having 
left an heir. 4. Mary A., born January 
28, 1834; married Andrew Ferris, son of 
George Ferris, and died April n, 1875. 
5. John L., born August 16, 1836; mar- 
ried, January 27, 1863, Mary C. Goodwin, 
and died October 30, 1904. 6. Emily E., 
born January 12, 1839; married William 
H. Ferris, brother of Andrew Ferris, and 
died January 19, 1905. 7. George E., born 
July 6, 1841, died October 28, 1874. 8. 
Joseph Albert, born July 8, 1843 > now re- 
sides near Ossining, New York. Captain 
Uriah Lockwood died August 14, 1880, 
and his widow survived until January 21, 
1893. 

(VII) Captain Henry Smith Lock- 
wood, son of Captain Uriah and Rebecca 
(Smith) Lockwood, was born April 30, 
1828, in the western part of the town of 
Greenwich, and received his education at 
the Greenwich Academy. As a young man 
he assisted in the building of the first 
bridge which spanned the Mianus river, 
and at the same period of his life ran a 
market sloop, in association with his fa- 



ther, to New York City. Some few years 
later Captain Lockwood engaged in busi- 
ness for himself as an oyster planter, be- 
ginning by transplanting from natural 
beds to his own. That was about 1854, and 
he was one of the first to undertake the 
method of transplanting. His enterprise 
proved successful and he developed a 
business which was a large one for his 
day. Later his sons purchased the busi- 
ness. 

Captain Lockwood married, December 
22, 1850, Sarah Elizabeth White, born 
February 3, 1828, daughter of Jacob and 
Phoebe (Reynolds) White, and they be- 
came the parents of the following chil- 
dren: 1. Nelson Uriah, whose biography 
follows. 2. Elbert Franklin, whose biog- 
raphy follows. 3. William H., born Oc- 
tober 25, 1855; married, December 31, 
1879, Mary Campbell, born December 21, 
1859, daughter of Andrew G. and Mary 
A. Campbell, and the following children 
have been born to them : Elbert Franklin, 
born October 23, 1880, died February 27, 
1882; Florence White, born October 8, 
1882, married, November 22, 1905, Walter 
T., born February 25, 1882, son of Henry 
E. and Lillian T. Wessels, and they have 
one child, Florence Lockwood Wessels, 
born September 19, 1906; Agnes Camp- 
bell, born September 25, 1885, died Janu- 
ary 12, 1888; Alice Campbell, born June 
5, 1889; and Henry Smith, born June 27, 
1891. William H. Lockwood and his 
wife are of Brooklyn, New York. Cap- 
tain Henry Smith Lockwood died Novem- 
ber 22, 1910, his wife having passed away 
July 20, 1908. Mrs. Lockwood was a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal 
church. 

Captain Henry Smith Lockwood was 
an able, aggressive business man, a good 
citizen, and irreproachable in every rela- 
tion of private life. 



14 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



LOCKWOOD, Edward Morgan, 

Lawyer, Public Official. 

It is a pleasure and source of satisfac- 
tion to trace descent from the old and 
honored families of Colonial days, as does 
Edward M. Lockwood, of Norwalk. 
Some idea of the ancient origin of the 
name of Lockwood is gleaned from the 
fact that it appears in the "Domesday 
Book." 

(II) Ephraim Lockwood, fourth son 
of Robert and Susannah Lockwood (q. 
v.), was born December I, 1641, in Wa- 
tertown. He was but a youth when 
brought by his parents to Norwalk, and 
there grew to manhood. He purchased a 
house and lot and had an inventory of 
seventy pounds in 1673, and of one hun- 
dred and twenty pounds in 1687, which 
proves that he was a sturdy, thrifty man. 
He married, June 8, 1665, Mercy St. John, 
daughter of Matthias St. John. The lat- 
ter was the first of the name in America, 
born in England, and came to Dorchester, 
Massachusetts, in 1631-32. He was in 
Windsor in 1640, and in 1654 removed to 
Norwalk. The name of his wife is not 
on record. 

(III) Daniel Lockwood, son of Eph- 
raim and Mercy (St. John) Lockwood, 
was born August 13, 1668, in Norwalk, 
Connecticut, and died there previous to 
1744. He was the official "pounder" of 
lawless cattle, March 5, 1700. He mar- 
ried, November 30, 1702, Charity Clem- 
ents, daughter of Rev. William and Eliza- 
beth Clements. 

(IV) Daniel (2) Lockwood, eldest son 
of Daniel (1) and Charity (Clements) 
Lockwood, was born December 13, 1703, 
in Stamford, Connecticut. He married 
(first) April 5, 1734, Mary Webb, born 
July 28, 1 71 5, died May 28, 1741, daugh- 
ter of Joseph and Mary (Hait) Webb. 

(V) Daniel (3) Lockwood, first child 



of Daniel (2) and Mary (Webb) Lock- 
wood, was born January 5, 1735, in Stam- 
ford, Connecticut, and died November 
28, 1807. He was a member of the Con- 
gregational church in 1774. He married, 
March 17, 1754, Mary Bellamy, who died 
in 1810. 

(VI) Daniel (4) Lockwood, second son 
and seventh child of Daniel (3) and Mary 
(Bellamy) Lockwood, was born January 
21, 1769, in Stamford, Connecticut, where 
he died October 8, 1837. He married 
(first) May 9, 1802, Sally (Sarah) Jessup, 
born October 14, 1779, in Greenwich, died 
September 8, 1829, daughter of Jonathan 
(2) Jessup, who was born September 12, 
1734, in Greenwich, and died April 22, 
1805. He married Ann, daughter of Ger- 
shom Lockwood, and she died April 14, 
1825. He was the son of Jonathan (1) 
Jessup, who was baptized August 3, 1707. 
He was a farmer and also was a carpen- 
ter. The Christian name of his wife was 
Sarah. He was a son of Edward (2) 
Jessup, who was born in 1663, either in 
Newtown or West Farms, New York, and 
died December 28, 1732. He was three 
years of age when his father died. He 
married Elizabeth, daughter of John and 
Elizabeth (Harvey) Hyde, and she died 
October 2, 1747. He was a son of Edward 
(1) Jessup, the immigrant ancestor of 
the Jessup family in America, who was in 
New England as early as 1649, m which 
year he was a citizen of Stamford, Con- 
necticut. 

(VII) Solomon Morgan Lockwood, son 
of Daniel (4) and Sally (Jessup) Lock- 
wood, was born July 24, 1818, in Stam- 
ford, Connecticut. He removed to New 
Canaan, Connecticut, where the major 
portion of his life was spent. He was 
a farmer. Mr. Lockwood married, De- 
cember 12, 1850, Mary Elizabeth Ayres, 
born April, 1827, daughter of Jonathan 
and Jane (Chapman) Ayres. With his 



15 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



family, he attended the Congregational 
church. Mr. and Mrs. Lockwood were 
the parents of three children: i. Mary 
Bellamy, born December 6, 1851, now 
deceased. 2. Caroline A., who became 
the wife of James B. Jenkins; Mr. and 
Mrs. Jenkins lived in Oneida, New York, 
and they are now deceased, being sur- 
vived by a son, Harry Jenkins. 3. Ed- 
ward Morgan, of further mention. 

(VIII) Edward Morgan Lockwood, 
only son and youngest child of Solomon 
Morgan and Mary Elizabeth (Ay res) 
Lockwood, was born September 20, 1859, 
in New Canaan, Connecticut, and baptized 
June 20, i860. Mr. Lockwood was edu- 
cated in the public schools, and after 
completing the courses there took up the 
study of law under private tutors. In 
this manner he prepared for entrance 
to Columbia College Law School, from 
which he was graduated in 1883, and in 
June of the same year was admitted to 
the bar of New York State. Mr. Lock- 
wood engaged in the practice of his 
profession in New York City, and sub- 
sequently removed to Norwalk, Connec- 
ticut. There amidst the scenes and as- 
sociations of his forefathers, he began 
his practice of law, being admitted to 
the Connecticut bar in 1885. For over 
three decades he has been among the re- 
spected members of the Fairfield County 
Bar Association, and through his upright- 
ness and ideals has won for himself well 
deserved honors. He served for one term 
as prosecuting attorney of the Town 
Court, and for sixteen years was judge 
of the Town and City Court, and was 
appointed corporation counsel and city 
clerk, serving from 1894 to 1898, and 
as corporation counsel again from 191 5 
to 1917; and has held other city offices. 
The efficient and commendable manner 
in which Mr. Lockwood discharged the 
duties incumbent on these offices is suf- 



ficient warrant of his ability. He is a 
Republican in politics, and actively in- 
terested in all measures which tend to 
better the welfare of his town. Socially 
he is a member of the Norwalk Club, the 
Norwalk Country Club, the Westport 
Country Club, and the East Norwalk 
Yacht Club. 

Mr. Lockwood married, August 22, 
1886, in New York City, Margaret Flor- 
ence Patterson, daughter of John and 
Mary Patterson, and they are the parents 
of four children: 1. Dorothy May, born 
May 5, 1887; is now the wife of Lansing 
D. Odell, of Norwalk, Connnecticut. 2. 
Alan Edward, a graduate of Cornell Uni- 
versity ; he enlisted at Washington and 
was given rank of first lieutenant and 
served in aviation in France ; in October, 
191 7, he went overseas and remained in 
active service until May, 1919. 3. Mary 
Patterson, died in June, 1901, at the age 
of ten years. 4. Edward Morgan, Jr., 
born October 21, 1902. Mr. Lockwood 
and his family are members and regular 
attendants of the First Congregational 
Church of Norwalk. 



LOCKWOOD, Charles Davenport, 

Lawyer, Legislator. 

Bearing the name of a splendid ances- 
try, Judge Charles D. Lockwood, of Stam- 
ford, Connecticut, has reached a high 
place in life as a citizen and man of public 
affairs. 

(II) Lieutenant Gershom Lockwood, 
son of Robert and Susannah Lockwood 
(q. v.), was born September 6, 1643, in 
Watertown, and died March 12, 1718-19, 
in Greenwich, Connecticut. He was but 
a boy of nine when his father removed to 
Greenwich, and fifteen years on the death 
of the latter. He was the principal builder 
and carpenter of Greenwich, a man of 
useful deeds, of importance to the com- 



16 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



munity. He was one of the twenty-seven 
proprietors of Greenwich. He married 
Lady Ann Millington, daughter of Lord 
Millington, of England. In 1660 she re- 
ceived from her home in England a large 
carved oaken chest said to contain one- 
half bushel of guineas and many fine silk 
dresses. This chest was in the home of 
Samuel Ferris in Greenwich in 1888. 

(III) Gershom (2) Lockwood, son of 
Lieutenant Gershom (1) and Ann (Mil- 
lington) Lockwood, born in Greenwich, 
was admitted a freeman, February 7, 
1693-94, and with his brother William 
built a bridge across Myanos river. His 
wife's Christian name was Mary, and they 
were the parents of Gershom, of whom 
further. 

(IV) Gershom (3) Lockwood, son of 
Gershom (2) and Mary Lockwood, was 
born in Greenwich, in 1708. He married 
Mary Ferris, born the same year, died 
February 9, 1796. 

(V) Gershom (4) Lockwood, son of 
Gershom (3) and Mary (Ferris) Lock- 
wood, was born about 1728, and died in 
1798, of dropsy, at Stanwich, Connecticut. 
He married Eunice Close, of Horse Neck 
Parish, Greenwich, born about 1728, died 
1808, and was buried in Greenwich. 

(VI) Joseph Lockwood, son of Ger- 
shom (4) and Eunice (Close) Lockwood, 
was born November 13, 1769, and in early 
life lived on a small farm. Later he went 
to New York City, and there engaged in 
business as a merchant tailor for some 
years. He then located in North Stam- 
ford, Connecticut, and lived a retired life 
until his death. He married Sarah Alau- 
son, of Stanwich, Connecticut, and was 
the father of Gideon Reed, of whom fur- 
ther. 

(VII) Gideon Reed Lockwood, son of 
Joseph and Sarah (Alauson) Lockwood, 
was born in North Stamford, Connecticut, 
February 27, 1793, died April 11, 1879. 

Conn— 8— 2 



He married, February 25, 1818, in Pound- 
ridge, New York, Mary Ayres, who was 
born there February 14, 1798, daughter 
of Reuben and Elizabeth (Lounsbury) 
Ayres, who died about 1871. 

(VIII) Henry Lockwood, son of Gid- 
eon Reed and Mary (Ayres) Lockwood, 
was born March 22, 1843, in North Stam- 
ford, Connecticut, where he was educated 
in the district schools and spent his 
boyhood on a farm. He attended East- 
man's Business College, Poughkeepsie, 
New York. In February, 1866, he came to 
Stamford, Connecticut, as clerk in a hard- 
ware store owned by S. W. Scofield, and 
after fifteen years Mr. Lockwood pur- 
chased the business of his employer, Feb- 
ruary 1, 1881. In 1914 the business was 
incorporated as The Lockwood & Palmer 
Company, with Mr. Lockwood as presi- 
dent, a position which he now holds at 
the age of seventy-eight years. The 
present building occupied by the corpora- 
tion covers a floor space of sixty-six by 
eighty-five feet, and contains five stories. 
Mr. Lockwood is domestic in his tastes, 
and has a ready ear for any welfare move- 
ment to help the general public. He has 
given his undivided attention to his busi- 
ness which accounts in a large measure 
for its wonderful growth. 

Mr. Lockwood married, April 24, 1872, 
Helen Maria Davenport, born April 19, 
1 85 1, daughter of George and Charlotte 
(Warner) Davenport, a descendant of 
an old and honorable family. (See Dav- 
enport VII). 

(IX) Charles Davenport Lockwood, 
son of Henry and Helen Maria (Daven- 
port) Lockwood, was born November 11, 
1877, in Stamford, Connecticut. He at- 
tended the public and high schools there. 
He graduated from Sheffield Scientific 
School in 1900 with the degree of Ph. B., 
and from Yale Law School in 1903 with 
the degree of LL. B. While at Yale 



17 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



he was captain of the university basket- 
ball team and represented Yale in inter- 
collegiate debates against Harvard and 
Princeton. He was admitted to the bar 
in the State of Connecticut in 1903 and in 
New York in 1904, and was assistant 
district attorney under Willam Travers 
Jerome from 1903 to 1906 in New York 
City. In November, 1906, he was elected 
judge of probate in Stamford, in 1908 was 
reelected to this office, and in 1910 was 
endorsed by both parties. On the expira- 
tion of his term in 1913, he refused to be 
a candidate for reelection. Judge Lock- 
wood formed a partnership with Homer 
S. Cummings, a sketch of whom appears 
elsewhere in this work, and they have a 
large general practice, being one of the 
important law firms in the State. 

Many outside interests have demanded 
the attention of Judge Lockwood, and he 
has been called to serve on a great many 
directorates of leading business and fi- 
nancial institutions. He is president and 
a director of The Citizens' Savings Bank 
of Stamford, a trustee of the Stamford 
Children's Home, a director of the First- 
Stamford National Bank, a director of the 
Stamford Morris Plan Bank, president of 
the Shippan Point Land Company, and 
secretary of The Lockwood & Palmer 
Company. 

In politics Judge Lockwood is a Demo- 
crat, and has taken more than a passive 
interest in that party. In 1913 he was 
representative from Stamford in the 
Lower House, and was a candidate for 
lieutenant-governor in 1918. He was an 
able and efficient legislator and served 
on the committee on incorporations. He 
was one of the four delegates-at-large sent 
from Connecticut to the Democratic Na- 
tional Convention in St. Louis in 1906, 
and to the convention in San Francisco in 
1920; was chairman of the local Draft 
Board of the City of Stamford ; member 
of the Committee on State Protection. 



Judge Lockwood married, October 13, 
1906, Gertrude Bell, daughter of Harry 
Bell, of Stamford, and they are the par- 
ents of three children : Charles Daven- 
port, Jr., born December 22, 1907; Wal- 
ter Bell, born February 14, 191 1; Bar- 
bara Elizabeth, born July 3, 1918. 

(The Davenport Line). 

(I) Mrs. Helen M. (Davenport) Lock- 
wood descends from John Davenport, 
who came to America in 1639. He was 
admitted a freeman in New Haven, in 
May, 1657, and in 1660 removed to Boston 
with his family, where he was made free- 
man the following year. He was a mer- 
chant and probate registrar. He died 
March 21, 1677. He married, November 
27, 1663, Abigail Pierson, daughter of 
Rev. Abraham Pierson, of Branford, and 
sister of Rev. Abraham Pierson, first rec- 
tor of Yale College. 

(II) Rev. John (2) Davenport, son of 
John (1) and Abigail (Pierson) Daven- 
port, was born in Boston, February 22, 
1668, and was baptized by his grandfather 
on the 28th of the same month. He grad- 
uated from Harvard in 1687 and began to 
preach in 1690. Three years later he came 
to Stamford, Connecticut, and was or- 
dained pastor of the church there in 1694. 
He was a member of Yale College Cor- 
poration from 1707 to 1 73 1. He married, 
April 18, 1695, Mrs. Martha (Gould) Sel- 
leck. 

(III) John (3) Davenport, son of Rev. 
John (2) and Martha (Gould-Selleck) 
Davenport, was born January 21, 1698, in 
Stamford, Connecticut, and there was 
married by his father to Sarah Bishop, 
September 6, 1722. He removed to Dav- 
enport Ridge, and was one of the original 
twenty-four members of the Congrega- 
tional church in New Canaan, June 20, 
1733. He died November 17, 1742. 

(IV) John (4) Davenport, son of John 
(3) and Sarah (Bishop) Davenport, was 



18 





C^^<^<rx/-^( x 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



born January 15, 1724. He united with 
the church, March 7, 1742. He married 
Deborah Amblar, June 2, 1748, and died 
June 23, 1756. 

(V) Deacon John (5) Davenport, son 
of John (4) and Deborah (Amblar) Dav- 
enport, was a carpenter and farmer. He 
was an early member of the Congrega- 
tional church and was appointed deacon, 
May 8, 1796. He married (first) Pru- 
dence Bell, daughter of Jesse Bell, of 
Stamford, who died December 23, 1794. 
He died February 5, 1820. 

(VI) James Davenport, son of Deacon 
John (5) and Prudence (Bell) Davenport, 
was born February 2, 1787, in Davenport 
Ridge, and died October 27, 1845. He 
was a farmer. He married, February 6, 
1810, Martha Warren, of Norwalk. They 
united with the church in 1815. 

(VII) George Davenport, son of James 
and Martha (Warren) Davenport, was 
born in Davenport Ridge, March 24, 
1813. He married (second) March 26, 
1850, Charlotte Warner. They were the 
parents of Helen Maria Davenport, who 
became the wife of Henry Lockwood. 
(See Lockwood VIII). 



LOCKWOOD, William F. H., 

Financier. 

William Fletcher Hanford Lockwood, 
of Greenwich, is a member of the old and 
distinguished family of Lockwood, a rep- 
resentative in the eighth generation. 

(Ill) Lieut. Gershom Lockwood, son 
of Jonathan and Mary (Ferris) Lock- 
wood (q. v.), was born 1676, in Green- 
wich, Connecticut, and was admitted a 
freeman there, February 7, 1697. In May, 
1726, he was deputy of the Colonial As- 
sembly of Connecticut. He served as jus- 
tice of the peace in May, 1726-27-28, and 
was deputy in 1747-50. He married Han- 
nah . 



(IV) Nathan Lockwood, son of Lieu- 
tenant Gershom and Hannah Lockwood, 
was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, July 
28,1704. He married Sarah about 

1740, and died July 28, 1761. He made a 
will June 11, 1761, which was probated 
August 4, 1 761. 

(V) Thaddeus Lockwood, son of Na- 
than and Sarah ( ) Lockwood, was 

born in Greenwich, Connecticut, about 

1741, and died in 1814. He married and 
had a large family. 

(VI) Ira Lockwood, son of Thaddeus 
Lockwood, was born October 17, 1769, in 
Greenwich, Connecticut, and died April 
19, 1846, on the homestead where he first 
saw the light. He was a very successful 
farmer and although starting in life with 
small resources became a man of wealth, 
due to his own initiative and persever- 
ance. He was a Whig in politics. For a 
number of years he was a constable. He 
married Clementine Mills, February 14, 
1794 (born December 19, 1770). During 
the early part of their married life they 
were members of the Baptist church, but 
later were members of the Episcopal 
church. Their children were : Alva, born 
May 14, 1795, died October 15, 1825; Ly- 
dia, born June 16, 1797, married Isaac 
Ostrander, May 14, 1814; she died May 
13, 1857; Ira, Jr., born January 25, 1800, 
and died April 11, 1825 ; Ralph, born April 
16, 1804, and died unmarried, October 20, 
1866 ; and Hanford, of further mention. 

(VII) Hanford Lockwood, son of Ira 
and Clementine (Mills) Lockwood, was 
born June 7, 1808, in Greenwich, Connec- 
ticut, and died January 27, 1896. He was 
one of the foremost men of his day in his 
community, a public-spirited citizen. He 
was born on the farm where his father 
and grandfather were born and lived their 
lives. In his childhood days, during the 
summer, he was accustomed to help his 



19 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



father in the work about the farm, and in 
the winter attended the district schools. 
He had a great desire to acquire a broader 
education than the district schools af- 
forded, and at the age of about fourteen 
opportunity made it possible for him to 
attend the Union Hall Academy in New 
York City. His son, William F. H. Lock- 
wood, has a map in his home in Green- 
wich, Connecticut, which his father drew 
while attending Union Hall Academy, 
covering the United States. At that time 
the Mississippi river was the Western 
border. The map is dated 1823. Natu- 
rally, Mr. Lockwood greatly prizes this 
old map made by his father. Hanford's 
first position was as a clerk in a grocery 
store in New York City, in the employ of 
William J. Romer ; his wages were five 
dollars a month. At the end of the first 
year he had saved thirty dollars, be- 
sides clothing himself, and here were 
first shown the traits of business acumen 
which later developed. Because of sick- 
ness in the family he was obliged to re- 
turn home, where he remained two years. 
At the end of that time he returned again 
to New York City, and entered the store 
of his sister's husband, Isaac Ostrander, 
and for the first year he received eight 
dollars a month and for the second twelve., 
and at the end of the third year fifteen 
dollars a month. 

After he had become of age, Mr. Lock- 
wood secured a position teaching school 
in Greenwich, Connecticut, and "boarded 
round" among the parents of the children 
of the district, as was the custom at that 
time. The highest pay he received as 
teacher was fifteen dollars a month. His 
genial disposition and pleasant manner 
soon endeared him to all and he made 
many lasting friends. The second year of 
his teaching school he was engaged in 
what was known as the "Nash District." 
During this time he made the acquain- 



ance of Susan, daughter of James Nash, 
the man who engaged him to teach the 
school. She was born July 14, 1812. On 
October 6, 1830, they were married, and 
she died October 27, 1869, without issue. 

In the month of April, 183 1, Hanford 
Lockwood commenced business as a gro- 
cer, locating at No. 90 Roosevelt street, 
New York City. He continued in that 
line of business for twenty-four years, 
when he retired and returned to his na- 
tive town, where he resided on the old 
homestead of his birth until February, 
1878, when he moved to his large estate 
in Greenwich, Connecticut, known as 
"Grand View." During his residence in 
New York City he made investments in 
real estate which greatly increased in 
value during his ownership. His real es- 
tate activities extended to various parts 
of the country. For many years he was 
largely interested in the New York stock 
market, where he also met with success. 
Mr. Lockwood showed keen business 
ability in every line of his undertakings. 
He was the first president of the Green- 
wich Trust, Loan & Deposit Company, 
which he established in 1887, and re- 
mained its president until he reached his 
eighty-second year, when feeling that he 
wished to be relieved of so great a re- 
sponsibility at his time of life, he resigned. 
The bank is now known as The Green- 
wich Trust Company. 

During the greater part of his life he 
was actively interested in church work, 
and for many years was one of the most 
influential members of the Methodist 
Episcopal church in his native town. He 
contributed his happiness and success to 
his religious principles. 

Mr. Lockwood married for his second 
wife, Fanny (Roscoe) Lounsbury, widow 
of Samuel D. F. Lounsbury, and daughter 
of William and Anna (Browne) Roscoe, 
on January 31, 1872. She was born July 



20 




s% 






c^y~?s-&^ 





yf^/ ^Jo^^uXtr-iTl 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



20, 1831, and died on Saturday, March 5, 
1921, at her home in Greenwich. They 
had one son, William Fletcher Hanford, 
the subject of this review. 

(VIII) William Fletcher Hanford Lock- 
wood, son of Hanford and Fanny (Ros- 
coe-Lounsbury) Lockwood, was born in 
Greenwich, Connecticut, May 22, 1875, 
on the old homestead of his father and 
grandfather. He was educated in the 
Greenwich Academy and at the Borden- 
town Military Institute, at Bordentown, 
New Jersey, and the Centenary Collegiate 
Institute at Hackettstown, New Jersey, 
and the Berkeley Institute at Boston, Mas- 
sachusetts. After completing his educa- 
tion, his time was entirely devoted to 
the care of his personal and financial af- 
fairs. He is interested in real estate and 
the New York stock market, and has been 
very successful in his undertakings. On 
December 27, 1897, Mr. Lockwood was 
elected a director of the Greenwich Trust 
Company, an office he held for about 
eighteen years. On December 18, 1895, 
he married Daisy Lucille Jackson. She 
was born August 28, 1875, at Millbrook, 
New York, the daughter of John A. and 
Mary Frances (Morse) Jackson. They are 
the parents of one daughter, Clementine 
Elizabeth Lockwood, born in Greenwich, 
Connecticut, June 3, 1903. She is now 
attending the Bennett School at Mill- 
brook, New York. She inherits much of 
ability and intellect due her from a long 
line of prominent, intellectual and influen- 
tial ancestors. 

An extensive genealogy of the Lock- 
wood family was published in 1889, com- 
piled by Frederick A. Holden and E. Dun- 
bar Lockwood, and it shows over four 
thousand descendants of Robert Lock- 
wood who came to this country in 1630. 
It also shows that one hundred and forty- 
seven of them served in the War of the 
Revolution and earlier wars with the 



French and Indians, giving the rank of 
service from private to that of brigadier- 
general. From these descendants have 
come men who have held honorable places, 
not only on the roll of fame in military 
lines, but whose genius, tact, intelligence 
and learning have given them places hon- 
orable and high in the professional and 
business world. 

(The Koscoe Line). 

William Roscoe was born August 11, 
1806, in Greenwich, Connecticut, and died 
June 25, 1875. He received a liberal edu- 
cation and learned the trade of carriage 
builder. In this line of business he was 
active the greater part of his life. He 
was the son of Abraham Roscoe, who 
was born in 1778, died in 1833, and who 
married Fanny Gruman, born in 1781 and 
died in February, 1821. 

William Roscoe was an active member 
of the Methodist Episcopal church of 
Port Chester, New York, for many years 
and until the time of his death. On Sep- 
tember 2, 1830, he married Anna Browne, 
of Greenwich, Connecticut, born July 14, 
1812, died May 8, 1883, in Greenwich. 
She was the daughter of Thomas Browne, 
an Englishman, and his wife, Hannah. 
Their children were : Fanny, born July 
20, 1 83 1, died March 5, 192 1 ; she mar- 
ried Hanford Lockwood (see Lockwood 
VII) ; Mary Elizabeth, born December 
25, 1832, died January 13, 1915 ; Julia Ann, 
born May 12, 1834, died February 22, 
1910; William Bradley, born July 17, 
1837, died December 21, 1839; Hanna 
Augusta, born December 4, 1840, died 
June 14, 1914. 



LOCKWOOD, George Francis, 
Man of Affairs. 

The career of George F. Lockwood, 
president of the New Canaan National 
Bank, is one well worthy of emulation by 



21 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



the youth of the present day. Industry, 
thrift and perseverance has marked his 
way through life, and to these qualities 
he added business ability of a high order 
and an honesty of purpose that has 
brought success to his well-directed ef- 
forts. His name is known in business 
and financial circles as that of a man who 
can be trusted, and with whom it is a 
satisfaction to transact business. He is 
a descendant of the well known Lock- 
wood family. 

(IV) Edmund Lockwood. son of Dan- 
iel and Charity (Clements) Lockwood 
(q. v.), was born November n, 1717, and 
died September 12, 1798. He married 
(first) April 26, 1742, Hannah Scofield, 
of Stamford, and she died September 4, 
1760. 

(V) Ezra Lockwood, son of Edmund 
and Hannah (Scofield) Lockwood, was 
born May 30, 1747, in Stamford, Connec- 
ticut, and died March 8, 1821. He en- 
listed in April, 1775, in Captain Joseph 
Hoit's company and went to the defense 
of New York, serving eight days. Ezra 
Lockwood married (second) Ann Davis, 
and she died June 22, 1822. 

(VI) Dr. Samuel Lockwood, son of 
Ezra and Ann (Davis) Lockwood, was 
born in Watertown, Connecticut, July 21, 
1787, and died in Stamford. March 10, 
1859. The Lockwood family were pio- 
neers in Watertown, Massachusetts, Wa- 
tertown. Connecticut, and Watertown, 
New York. Samuel Lockwood studied 
medicine with Dr. Elton and graduated 
from the New York Medical College. He 
opened an office in Stamford and rapidly 
gained prominence as a physician, being 
highly esteemed among the townspeople. 
Dr. Lockwood was especially loved by 
the children and in 1838, upon his retire- 
ment from practice, he bought a farm 
near the site of the present Stamford Hos- 
pital, where he passed the remainder of 



his life in quiet rest. He married (first) 
January 14, 1820, Helen Sheddon, born in 
1792 at Falkirk, Scotland, daughter of 
John and Helen (Hodge) Sheddon. 

(VII) John Davis Lockwood, son of 
Dr. Samuel Lockwood and his first wife, 
Helen (Sheddon) Lockwood, was born in 
Stamford, Connecticut, March 14, 1823, 
and died in September, 1857. His educa- 
tional opportunities were limited, but he 
made the most of those at hand. He did 
not care for farm life, and soon after 
reaching manhood went to New York 
City and there entered the Hecker Com- 
pany flour mill. He was placed in charge 
of the Brooklyn mill, which burned down, 
and Mr. Lockwood then returned to a 
place near to the old home, where his 
death occurred. Mr. Lockwood married 
Jeanette Gray, daughter of Holly Gray; 
she died in 1877. They were the parents 
of the following children: Antoinette H., 
married George E. Whitney, and is now 
deceased ; had one son, Edward P. Whit- 
ney, of New York ; Helen S., George 
Francis, of whom further ; Emily J., Rob- 
ert D., Amelia H. 

(VIII) George Francis Lockwood, son 
of John Davis and Jeanette (Gray) Lock- 
wood, was born November 17, 1849, on 
Hubbard's Hill, Stamford, Connecticut. 
He was educated in the public schools 
and Professor Glendenning's Academy. 
When he was fourteen years old he en- 
tered the employ of the Stamford Bank, 
where he remained for five years, and then 
went to New York City as cashier in the 
office of James McCreary & Company. 
His health became impaired, and he spent 
a year recuperating at New Milford. Con- 
necticut. Subsequently, he went to St. 
Paul. Minnesota, in the year 1869, and 
his chief employment there was with 
General Owen?, who had charge of an 
expedition serving the Northern Pacific 
Railroad. Mr. Lockwood was on a 



22 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



branch of it that went to Partridge River 
from St. Cloud. He was there about two 
years, and then returned East and trav- 
eled a season with G. F. Bailey, who 
was in the early days of his career a cir- 
cus man. When Mr. Bailey combined 
with P. T. Barnum, Mr. Lockwood was 
offered the treasurership of the combined 
shows, but declined the offer. Returning 
to New Canaan, he became identified as 
bookkeeper and teller with the bank of 
which he is now chief executive. For ten 
years he remained in this position, and 
then for a second time went West, spend- 
ing a winter in Minneapolis and St. Paul, 
Minnesota. Upon his return to New Can- 
aan, Connecticut, he went into the shoe 
business of Benedict & Company, manu- 
facturers, as a member of the firm. For 
over a quarter of a century he continued 
in this business, being at the head of it 
most of this time, until at length the bus- 
iness was given up. 

During all these intervening years, Mr. 
Lockwood had been a member of the 
board of directors of the New Canaan 
National Bank, and in 1908 was elected 
president of the institution, which office 
he now holds. The father of Mr. Lock- 
wood was a Whig in politics, and his 
mother's family were Democrats. He 
grew up in the latter political faith, but 
has always been an Independent in polit- 
ical action. For a number of years he 
served as town treasurer ; was warden of 
the borough for two years, and during his 
term the borough saved money, a unique 
experience in its financial history. Mr. 
Lockwood has been identified for many 
years with the different village improve- 
ment societies and the Village Club to 
improve young men ; in short, he is to be 
found identified with any of the welfare 
movements for the general good. 

Mr. Lockwood married, December 12, 
1878, Emma N. Benedict, born November 



J 5. I 853, daughter of Charles and Sarah 
E. (Dann) Benedict, the well known shoe 
manufacturer of New Canaan. Mr. Lock- 
wood and his wife attend St. Mark's 
Episcopal Church, of which he has been 
warden for twenty-five years. 



LOCKWOOD, Luke Vincent, 

Lawyer, Public Official. 

The name of Lockwood is one of the 
most ancient surnames found on English 
records, and it is worthily represented in 
the present generation by Luke Vincent 
Lockwood, of New York City. 

(VI) Frederick (2) Lockwood, son of 
Frederick (1) and Deborah (Reynolds) 
Lockwood (q. v.), was born February 
4, 1788. He married Mary Ann Jessup, 
daughter of Gershom and Rhoda (Knapp) 
Jessup. They were the parents of Luke 
Adolphus, of further mention. 

(VII) Luke Adolphus Lockwood, son 
of Frederick (2) and Mary Ann (Jessup) 
Lockwood, was born in Riverside, town 
of Greenwich, Connecticut, December 1, 
1833, and until fourteen years of age at- 
tended the public schools of that town. 
He prepared for college at Greenwich 
Academy and entered Trinity College in 
185 1, graduating in 1855 as valedictorian 
of his class. In 1888 Mr. Lockwood re- 
ceived the degree of M. A., and was for 
three years chosen by the Alumni an elec- 
tive trustee, and in 1890 was elected 
trustee for life. His alma mater also con- 
ferred on him the degree of LL. D. After 
his graduation, Mr. Lockwood read law 
in a New York office and was admitted 
to the bar of that State in 1856, and sub- 
sequently was admitted to the Connec- 
ticut bar, although his practice was 
Avholly in New York City. In his earlier 
years of practice, Mr. Lockwood was a 
member of the firm of Lockwood & 
Lewis, and after an interval of many 



23 



C 90.0-074& 



<l 



Kn/3 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



years alone he formed another partner- 
ship under the name of Lockwood & Hill. 
While for some years he resided in 
Brooklyn, New York, in the winters, he 
always retained the ancestral estate in the 
town of Greenwich, which has been in 
the family since the original grant in 
1642. 

In 1875 Mr. Lockwood started a mis- 
sion chapel at Riverside known as St. 
Paul's and laid the cornerstone the fol- 
lowing year. For eleven years thereafter 
he conducted the Sunday school and eve- 
ning service, and for years held the office 
of senior warden. He held a license to 
preach and enjoyed an intimate friend- 
ship with the late Bishop Williams. 

He was made a Mason in 1856, in 
Union Lodge, No. 5, Stamford, Connec- 
ticut. At the organization of Acacia 
Lodge, No. 85, in Greenwich, in 1858, he 
was a charter member and served as its 
first worshipful master, continuing in the 
office for ten years thereafter, and after an 
interval serving again for two years. In 
1858 he was exalted a Royal Arch Mason 
in Rittenhouse Chapter, No. 11, Stamford, 
and served as high priest in 1864 and 
1865. On May 9, 1872, he was elected 
grand master of the Grand Lodge, of Con- 
necticut, from the floor, a very rare oc- 
currence, the only other instance up to 
that time being in 1816, when Oliver Wol- 
cott, who the same year had been elected 
Governor of the State, was elected from 
the floor. Mr. Lockwood filled the office 
for two years and his administration was 
characterized by a careful and intelligent 
direction of the affairs of the craft, 
marked with progress and prosperity. 
His annual address, delivered before the 
Grand Lodge in 1873, is distinguished not 
alone for ability and intelligence man- 
ifested but for the inception of the Ma- 
sonic Charity Foundation of Connecticut, 
which was later chartered by the State. 



He was one of the incorporators of the 
home at Wallingford, was elected a mem- 
ber of the board of managers and became 
its first president. On May 9, 1865, he 
was elcted grand high priest of the Grand 
Chapter and was reelected in 1866. His 
administration was distinguished for 
ability and a high moral tone, leaving the 
impress of a master's hand, more endur- 
ing than marble, upon every page of its 
history. During almost the entire con- 
nection of Mr. Lockwood with these bod- 
ies, he was honored as chairman of the 
committee on jurisprudence, and his legal 
mind wrought order out of chaos, fur- 
nishing for the government of the craft 
a system of masonic law unexcelled by 
that of any jurisdiction. He wrote "Lock- 
wood's Masonic Law and Practice," a most 
valuable book of jurisprudence, which 
has been adopted by the Grand Bod- 
ies of Connecticut, and is recognized as 
a standard work throughout the country. 
Of Mr. Lockwood, it was said by a fel- 
low craftsman : 

To Freemasonry in Connecticut, he has been a 
tower of strength — a Father in Israel — and his in- 
fluence has been the means, to a great extent, 
of laying the foundations of the order in Con- 
necticut on a broad, deep and enduring basis. As 
a student of the philosophy and symbolism of 
freemasonry, he is not excelled, and as a teacher 
of its grand and uplifting precepts, he has few 
equals, being himself controlled by the highest 
principles of morality, and virtue that underlie 
its teachings, and which are wrought out in his 
daily life. He has delivered many masonic ad- 
dresses and written numerous articles on the 
subject of Freemasonry. 

Mr. Lockwood married, September 11, 
1862, Mary -Louise Lyon, daughter of 
Captain James and Catherine (Mead) 
Lyon. She was born in Greenwich, Con- 
necticut, March 10, 1841. Her father, 
Captain James Lyon, was one of the most 
prominent citizens of Greenwich. He 
sailed regularly between America and 



24 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Liverpool. At one time he owned the 
"Fairfield," and at another time the 
''Oceanic. " At the time he became mas- 
ter of a vessel, Mr. Lyon was only about 
twenty-two years of age ; he retired from 
the sea early in life, having acquired quite 
a competence. He was interested in the 
New York, New Haven & Hartford Rail- 
road at the time it was organized, being 
one of the directors. His home was the 
large house with the cupola on the post 
road in Greenwich, next to the hotel 
known now as "The Maples." The chil- 
dren of Luke A. and Mary Louise (Lyon) 
Lockwood were : Theodora Lyon, born 
January 12, 1868; Gertrude Louise, born 
October 29, 1869; Luke Vincent, of fur- 
ther mention ; William Frederic, who 
died young. 

(VIII) Luke Vincent Lockwood, eld- 
est son of Luke Adolphus and Mary 
Louise (Lyon) Lockwood, was born in 
Brooklyn, New York, February 1, 1872. 
He prepared for college at King's School 
in Stamford, and was graduated from 
Trinity College in 1893 with the degree 
of A. B. He then entered the New York 
Law School, from which he was gradu- 
ated in 1895 with the degree of LL. B., 
and was admitted to the bar the same 
year in New York City. In 1895 he re- 
ceived the degree of M. A. from Trinity 
College. About 191 1 Mr. Lockwood was 
admitted to the Connecticut bar. The 
same year in which he graduated also 
marked the beginning of his association 
with the firm of Lockwood & Hill, and 
in 1901 he was admitted to partnership. 
After the death of his father, the firm 
name was changed to Hill, Lockwood, 
Redfield & Lydon. Mr. Lockwood makes 
a specialty of corporate and estate work. 

In politics, Mr. Lockwood holds inde- 
pendent views ; he is chairman of the 
Highway Commission in Greenwich, and 
is a member of the Board of Estimate and 



Taxation. His interests are not solely 
confined to his legal work ; he has an 
active share in the executive manage- 
ment of several industrial and financial 
institutions. He is a director of the 
Greenwich Trust Company ; president of 
the News & Graphic ; president of the 
Greenwich Hospital ; president of the 
Beaumont Glass Company of Morgan- 
town, West Virginia ; director of the Nor- 
folk Southern Railroad ; director of the 
Thatcher Furnace Company ; director of 
Flint & Horner Company, of New York; 
director of the Commercial Acetylene & 
Supply Company, and of several other 
corporations. 

Mr. Lockwood's hobby is antiquarian- 
ism, and he has written a number of 
books on the subject which are recog- 
nized as standard authority. Among 
them are : "Colonial Furniture in Amer- 
ica," "Pendleton Collection," "A Collec- 
tion of English Furniture of the Seven- 
teenth and Eighteenth Centuries," "Fur- 
niture Collection Glossary," "Articles on 
Colonial Silver." 

At the time of the Hudson-Fulton Cel- 
ebration, Mr. Lockwood gave valuable 
assistance to the Metropolitan Museum 
in making up their exhibitions ; he has 
personally one of the largest private col- 
lections of American furniture and Amer- 
ican silver and needle work and textiles 
in the country. Mr. Lockwood is a mem- 
ber of the Municipal Art Commission of 
New York ; a trustee of the Brooklyn In- 
stitute of Arts and Sciences ; an honor- 
ary fellow of the Metropolitan Museum 
of Art ; a life member of the National 
Arts Club of New York. Socially, Mr. 
Lockwood is a member of the Field Club ; 
the Riverside Marine and Field Club, of 
Greenwich ; the Century and University 
clubs of New York ; the Twentieth Cen- 
tury and Rembrandt clubs of Brooklyn ; 
he is an executive member of the Wal- 



25 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



pole Society, member of the Society of 
Colonial Wars, and of the fraternities, 
Alpha Delta Phi and Phi Beta Kappa. 
Through the entire war he served as 
chairman of Local Board, No. 15, Fair- 
field county, Connecticut. 

On November 16, 1897, Mr. Lockwood 
married Alice Gardner Burnell, daughter 
of Calvin J. Burnell, of Hartford. They 
are the parents of two children, Luke Bur- 
nell, born 1901, and Jane, born 1904. 



LOCKWOOD, Capt. Nelson Uriah, 

Man of Varied Activities. 

High on the list of Stamford's citizens 
stands the name of Captain Lockwood. 
In his early manhood Captain Lockwood 
was actively identified with the oyster 
business, and later devoted some years to 
agricultural pursuits. Since becoming a 
resident of Stamford he has taken a help- 
ful and public-spirited interest in all that 
makes for the truest welfare of his com- 
munity. 

(VIII) Nelson Uriah Lockwood was 
born October 14, 185 1, in Greenwich, and 
is a son of Captain Henry Smith and 
Sarah Elizabeth (White) Lockwood (q. 
v.), and a brother of Captain Elbert F. 
Lockwood, who is represented in this 
work by a biography which follows. 

The education of Captain Lockwood 
was obtained in the public schools of 
Greenwich and at the old Greenwich 
Academy. After completing his course 
of study he served for about a year as 
clerk in a dry goods store, and was then 
associated with his father in the latter's 
oyster business. Thenceforth he "fol- 
lowed the water" for a number of years, 
becoming a captain at the age of twenty- 
five years. About 1884 Captain Lock- 
wood was compelled by impaired health 
to abandon a seafaring life. He had then 
been for some vear associated in the 



oyster business with his brother, Cap- 
tain Elbert F. Lockwood, and on with- 
drawing from that he turned his atten- 
tion to farming, purchasing some land 
in Greenwich. At the same time he con- 
ducted a small wholesale and retail oys- 
ter business on his own account. In 191 1 
he sold the farm and moved to Stamford, 
where he has since resided. 

On moving to Stamford, Captain Lock- 
wood withdrew from active business life. 
He was one of the charter members of 
the Greenwich Farmers' Club, and for 
three years served as its vice-president. 
He and his wife are members of the 
Congregational church of Stamford, of 
which he has been a deacon, and he is 
also a teacher in the young men's class of 
the Sunday school. While a resident of 
Stanwich, in the town of Greenwich, he 
served as deacon of the Congregational 
church and also as superintendent of the 
Sunday school. Captain Lockwood is in- 
terested in work among the younger gen- 
eration, and for several years was a mem- 
ber of the religious work committee of 
the Young Men's Christian Association. 
He is active in the Boy Scout movement, 
a member of Stamford Council of Boy 
Scouts, and one of the committee of 
Troop No. 2. Captain Lockwood has 
chosen well those things to which he 
gives his aid and support, for in the suc- 
cess and perpetuation of such organiza- 
tions, aiming toward the welfare of the 
men of to-morrow, is the hope of Amer- 
ican institutions and ideals. 

Captain Lockwood married, June 8, 
1875, Adeline, daughter of Samuel Wood- 
hull and Sarah Louisa Hopkins, grand- 
daughter of General Gilbert Hopkins. 
The name of Hopkins occupies distin- 
guished position throughout New Eng- 
land's history. General Gilbert Hopkins 
was for many years a major-general of 
New York Militia, and was grand mar- 



26 




■ 






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■L 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



shal of the military services held in New 
York City on the occasion of the death of 
General Lafayette, also acting as grand 
marshal of the parade held in celebration 
of the bringing of Croton water into New 
York City. He was a man of importance 
and distinction of his day, and filled hon- 
orable place in military and private life. 
Captain and Mrs. Lockwood are the par- 
ents of two daughters: Grace, married 
Lewis Mead Close, of Stamford ; and 
Sarah May, wife of William D. Rich, of 
Woodbury, Connecticut, and mother of 
two children: William Nelson, born 
March 24, 1905 ; and Elberta Grace, born 
September 8, 1908. 

The career of Captain Lockwood has 
been singularly well-rounded. He has 
touched life at many points, moving in 
different spheres of action and gaining 
varied experiences. After years spent in 
the activities of a seafaring life, and in 
those of a business man and farmer, he 
is now, in his retirement, doing all in his 
power to further the best interests of his 
community and lending his influence and 
aid to those movements and institutions 
which in his judgment bring enlighten- 
ment and encourage loyalty to higher 
standards of living. 



LOCKWOOD, Capt. Elbert F., 

Business Man, Public Official. 

As president of The Sea Coast Oyster 
Company, Captain Lockwood is a figure 
of prominence in the business world, his 
position being rendered more command- 
ing by his office of shell fish commis- 
sioner, to which he had been recently 
reappointed after having held it for sev- 
eral years. Notwithstanding his exten- 
sive business connections and their heavy 
responsibilities, Captain Lockwood is 
always faithful to the duties of citizenship 



and has never been found lacking in a 
laudable degree of public spirit. 

(VIII) Captain Elbert F. Lockwood, 
son of Captain Henry Smith and Sarah 
Elizabeth (White) Lockwood (q. v.), was 
born October 16, 1853, in Greenwich, Con- 
necticut. He received his education in 
the public schools of his native town and 
at the Greenwich Academy. Then, at the 
age of seventeen, he became associated 
with his father and brother, Nelson U., 
in the oyster business under the firm 
name of H. S. Lockwood & Sons. During 
the following three years he assisted his 
father in the running of the boat and then, 
on reaching his twentieth year, was given 
charge of it. On attaining his majority 
he took out his master's license and sailed 
until 1882, when the firm built a steamer, 
the first ever used in the oyster business 
in Connecticut. About a year after they 
sold the boat to H. C. Rowe, of New 
Haven. Captain Lockwood and his 
brother took over the business from their 
father, who retired to the enjoyment of a 
period of well-earned leisure, and the firm 
name was changed to Lockwood Broth- 
ers. After a time Captain Lockwood pur- 
chased his brother's interest and carried 
on the business under his own name, 
Elbert F. Lockwood. On becoming sole 
owner of the concern he began buying 
land for oyster beds, and conducted his 
business transactions by wholesale and 
on a very extensive scale. After the lapse 
of a few years, Captain Lockwood and 
Alden Solomon, of South Norwalk, com- 
bined their oyster interests under the 
name of the Standard Oyster Company, 
Mr. Solomon holding the office of presi- 
dent and Captain Lockwood that of vice- 
president, combining with it the duties 
of treasurer. A few years later they sold 
out and Captain Lockwood retired from 
business. 



27 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



It is not easy, however, for a man of 
Captain Lockwood's mental and physical 
vigor to remain for a long time without 
a definite occupation, and at the end of 
ten years he reentered the business arena, 
signalizing the event by the purchase of 
the Andrew Radell oyster plant at Rock- 
away, Long Island. Later he bought 
sixty acres at Mattituck, Long Island, and 
three hundred and fifty acres at Port Jef- 
ferson, the property of the Sewasset 
Oyster Company. Still later he became 
by purchase the owner of the Seal-shipped 
Oyster Company at Cape Cod, Massa- 
chusetts, taking as an associate Frank 
W. Rowley, of New Haven. The busi- 
ness was conducted under the name of 
The Cape Cod Oyster Farms Company, 
with headquarters at Wellfleet, Massachu- 
setts. On July i, 1919, Captain Lockwood 
bought out the firm of Smith Brothers, 
of New Haven, adding to this the pur- 
chase of the interests of the F. G. Lane 
Company, of the same city, whose oyster 
beds were situated at New Haven and 
Milford, Connecticut ; also at Newport, 
Rhode Island. These various purchases 
gave to Captain Lockwood and his asso- 
ciates four thousand five hundred acres 
of oyster beds, the largest plant in New 
England. Their equipment consists of the 
latest and most modern appliances for 
handling oysters from the time the seed 
oysters are planted until the grown oyster 
is shipped to the consumer. 

On July 1, 1919, all these properties 
were combined and incorporated under 
the name of The Sea Coast Oyster Com- 
pany, Captain Lockwood holding the of- 
fice of president of the amalgamated or- 
ganization. The company ships its 
products packed in barrels from Cape 
Cod to Canada and to all other parts of 
its extensive territory. From Wickford 
it ships oysters, both opened and in bar- 
rels. The other plants are used as feeders 



to the Wellfleet and Wickford establish- 
ments. They also sell seed oysters to 
planters all along the coast. During the 
oyster season they employ a large num- 
ber of men. In 1915, in association with 
Charles W. Raymond, Captain Lockwood 
founded the firm of Lockwood & Ray- 
mond, purchasing oyster beds in Stam- 
ford and near Oyster Bay, Long Island. 
They now have about five hundred acres. 
In 19 1 5 Captain Lockwood was appointed 
by Governor "Holcomb to the office of 
shell fish commissioner, and on July 1, 
1919, was reappointed. The tribute to 
Captain Lockwood's exceptional quali- 
fications for the office which the appoint- 
ment implied was richly merited as the 
fact of its renewal most conclusively 
proved. 

Captain Lockwood married (first) June 
8, 1892, Emma Frances Peck, daughter of 
George A. and Eliza (Valentine) Peck, 
of Greenwich, the former a representative 
of a well known family of English origin. 
Mrs. Lockwood died September 15, 1909. 
Captain Lockwood married (second) 
June 30, 1910, Jennie Mead, widow of 
Frederick Mead, and daughter of Rich- 
ard and Elizabeth (Hawes) Cox, of 
Greenwich. 

The home of Captain Lockwood at 
Coscob, Connecticut, which he built about 
twelve years ago, and which is a beautiful 
house in the English style of architecture, 
is in one respect truly unique. The .foun- 
dation consists of a solid rock out of 
which the cellar was blasted. On this 
sure basis, provided by Nature, he has 
reared the fabric of a charming structure. 

Captain Elbert F. Lockwood is a rep- 
resentative of a family the history of 
which is inextricably interwoven with 
the narrative of the development and 
progress of New England, and more es- 
pecially, of Connecticut. As the acknowl- 
edged head of one of New England's 



28 



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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



leading industries he has faithfully main- 
tained his ancestral traditions, not only 
in the upbuilding of his own fortunes, but 
in rendering valuable public service and 
in advancing the welfare and prosperity 
of large numbers of his fellowmen. 



LOCK WOOD, Fred E., 

Merchant. 

For many years Fred E. Lockwood 
stood in the public eye in Norwalk as a 
merchant, and the record of progressive, 
straightforward dealing that stands in his 
name is one of the highest tributes to his 
memory. Not alone as a man of affairs 
and as a public-spirited citizen, willing 
and diligent in his efforts to advance the 
general good, is Mr. Lockwood remem- 
bered, but for his work in fraternal orders 
and his sponsorship of the cause of good 
sportsmanship in its broadest sense. This 
memorial to his life and work, among 
those of the men who were his daily as- 
sociates, is dedicated in recognition of the 
high ideals that guided his daily walk. 

Charles W. Lockwood, father of Fred 
E. Lockwood, was born in Norwalk, Con- 
necticut. He was educated in the public 
schools. He learned the trade of carriage 
trimmer and followed this occupation for 
some years. Later an opportunity to buy 
a gravel and roofing business offered bet- 
ter advantages and Mr. Lockwood bought 
this business, in which he was very suc- 
cessful, and for many years he was the 
leading man in that line in his section. 
After selling his interests in the roofing 
business, he purchased a fish market from 
Charles Scofield, which was located on 
Wall street, about fifty feet east of the 
cigar store which is now opposite the foot 
of Main street (1921). Until his retire- 
ment from active business duties Mr. 
Lockwood was engaged in carrying on 
the fish market, and sold it when he re- 
tired. Mr. Lockwood was a staunch 



Republican, and took a keen interest in 
all matters of public welfare. On several 
occasions he was asked to be a candidate 
for public office, which he always de- 
clined, preferring to serve his party and 
the interests of his community in the role 
of a private citizen. 

Mr. Lockwood married Jane Capstick, 
a daughter of Miles Capstick. The latter 
was a native of Scotland, but his daughter 
was born in Norwalk. Mr. and Mrs. 
Lockwood were the parents of the follow- 
ing children : Fred E., of further mention ; 
William F., a resident of Norwalk ; 
George, of the firm of F. E. Lockwood & 
Company, of Norwalk; Minnie L., wife 
of Charles Betts, 'of Norwalk; Edward, 
of Norwalk. 

Fred E. Lockwood was born June 4, 
1855, in Norwalk, Connecticut. He at- 
tended the public schools there. After 
completing his schooling, he secured em- 
ployment in the dry goods store of John 
F. Bennett, where he remained for almost 
five years. Following this period Mr 
Lockwood was in the employ of several 
concerns in the capacity of salesman on 
the road. While traveling in this way 
he became identified with the Singer Sew- 
ing Machine Company, first as salesman 
and later as manager of their Norwalk 
office. His service covered a period of 
eighteen years, Mr. Lockwood resigning 
in 1884 to enter the employ of the Sho- 
ninger Piano Company. In 1894 he 
established in business, independently, 
selling and repairing bicycles, also deal- 
ing in sewing machines and musical in- 
struments. As the automobile business 
became more flourishing, Mr. Lockwood 
was quick to see the opportunities af- 
forded in the repairing line and he was 
the pioneer repairman and auto dealer in 
Norwalk. At first he handled the Olds- 
mobile, and later had the agency for the 
Cadillac, Kissel and Hubmobile cars, and 
the Kissel and Mack trucks. In addition 



29 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



he maintained a store in which was car- 
ried a general line of auto supplies and 
sporting goods, in connection with this a 
large service station and garage. His 
brother, George Lockwood, was in part- 
nership with him, and the business was 
conducted under the firm name of F. E. 
Lockwood & Company. Mr. Lockwood 
met with well deserved success in his 
business, the result of intelligently ap- 
plied effort and a keen initiative. He was 
a Republican in politics, and active in 
municipal affairs though not a seeker for 
political preferment. 

Mr. Lockwood was interested in mili- 
tary affairs at the time of the formation of 
the old Lockwood Rifles of the Connecti- 
cut National Guard, and was an original 
member and officer of the company. He 
was a prominent member of the old Nor- 
walk Gun Club, and was long considered 
one of the best shots in the town. He 
was also a devotee of rod and reel, and 
it had been his custom for some years to 
offer a prize to the sportsman bringing in 
the largest trout of the season. He was 
a member of Our Brothers Lodge, Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows ; St. John's 
Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons ; and 
was also a member of the Roxbury Club, 
the Phoenix Engine Company, and the 
Norwalk Boat Club. His associates in 
these organizations felt in his death the 
loss of a man whose life exemplified fra- 
ternity and loyalty, and who possessed 
many commendable virtues in a manly 
personality. 

Fred E. Lockwood married Laura Ar- 
nold, daughter of Theodore and Laura 
Arnold, who survives him. His death 
occurred January 25, 1921. 



MEAD FAMILY, 

Ancestral History. 

The founders of our civilization, com- 
ing to the shores of the New World while 



yet that world was a wilderness, brought 
with them something of far greater value 
than the material possessions which they 
left behind ; greater even than the de- 
cadent principles and institutions which 
they had foresworn. They brought the 
spirit of independence which supported 
them through all the hardships of pio- 
neer life, and which has been transmitted 
from generation to generation, making 
their descendants of the present day lead- 
ers among men, upholding and cherishing 
that which their forebears created, and 
sustaining the National progress which 
received its first impulse from these early 
pioneers. The Mead family, in the early 
part of the seventeenth century, came to 
New England and established the name 
which has become significant of high at- 
tainment. 

The surname Mead is of undoubted 
English origin. The various forms now 
in use have been derived from the root, 
"Ate Med," and have been handed down 
through very many generations from 
ancient times. The name clearly origi- 
nated in the location of the home of this 
family on the mead, or meadow. 

The Connecticut Meads are descended 
from one, William Mead, who is believed 
to have been a brother of Gabriel Mead, 
the immigrant ancestor of the Massachu- 
setts family. Probably these two broth- 
ers, with their families, sailed from Lydd, 
Count)' Kent, England, in the good ship, 
"Elizabeth," in April, 1635. 

(I) William Mead was born in Eng- 
land, about 1600. He was married, about 
1625, and died in Stamford, Connecticut, 
about 1663. He was a man of great fear- 
lessness of spirit, perhaps not as out- 
spoken as some men of that day, but 
holding fast to the principles which he 
believed to be right, and willing, for their 
sake, to face the unknown. He was a 
man of uncompromising attitude, never 



30 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



satisfied short of the utmost possibility. 
He came to the Massachusetts Colony in 
the summer of 1635, then pressed farther 
inland, and settled in Wethersfield, Con- 
necticut. Later he removed to Stamford, 
Connecticut, and was granted land there 
on December 7, 1641. His wife's death 
is recorded on September 19, 1657. 

(II) John Mead, son of William Mead, 
was born in England, about 1634, and 
died February 5, 1699. He married, about 
1657, Hannah Potter, daughter of Wil- 
liam Potter. John Mead was at one time 
in Hempstead, Long Island, removed to 
Old Greenwich, now Sound Beach, in 
1660, then became one of the original pro- 
prietors of Horse Neck (Greenwich), in 

1672. He was a very broad-minded, pub- 
lic-spirited man, and did much for the 
wellbeing of the little community. He 
was made a freeman in 1670, and took a 
prominent part in all the public affairs of 
the section. He served as a member of 
the General Assembly in 1679, 1680 and 
1686. 

(III) John (2) Mead, son of John (1) 
and Hannah (Potter) Mead, lived in 
Stamford, Connecticut, and also in Hemp- 
stead, Long Island. Later he located 
permanently in Horse Neck. He mar- 
ried, in 167 1, Ruth Hardy, daughter of 
Richard Hardy. The second John Mead 
was, like his father, a man interested and 
active in the public good, bearing his 
share in the responsibilities of the com- 
munity. He served in different offices, 
and was constable in 1682. 

(IV) Samuel Mead, son of John (2) 
and Ruth (Hardy) Mead, was born about 

1673, and died in 1713, in the prime of 
life. He married, in 1695, and his wife's 
Christian name was Hannah. One of the 
most regrettable things about this period 
of Colonial history is that the records of 
the growth and development of the colo- 
nies are so very meager. In those days 



men were scarcely aware of the meaning 
to posterity of the constructive work they 
were doing. To them it was largely a 
daily grind, hallowed only by those ideals 
of which they were so steadfastly ten- 
acious, and the cost, many times, in peace 
as well as in war was a sad shortening of 
useful lives. 

(V) Peter Mead, son of Samuel and 
Hannah Mead, was born October 2, 1700. 
He married, July 29, 1744, Hannah Mead, 
daughter of Benjamin Mead. 

(VI) Peter (2) Mead, son of Peter (1) 
and Hannah (Mead) Mead, was born 
January 14, 1755, and died December 20, 
1832. He married, November 19, 1777, 
Hannah Close, daughter of Samuel and 
Deborah (Mead) Close, born March 14, 
1756, died November 5, 1824. 

(VII) Lucknor Mead, son of Peter (2) 
and Hannah (Close) Mead, was born 
May 17, 1793, and died January 6, 1846. 
He married, February 14, 1814, Sophia 
Fletcher, who was born October 4, 1794. 
and died April 24, 1852. He was a pros- 
perous, ambitious man, and brought up 
his children in the habits of thrift and in- 
dustry. 

(VIII) Captain Benjamin C. Mead, 
son of Lucknor and Sophia (Fletcher) 
Mead, was born in Greenwich, Connec- 
ticut, 1817, and died in 1879. He was 
only fourteen years old when he began 
"following the water." The public pros- 
perity had reached a point where advan- 
tages of commercial communications be- 
tween various sections had become a mat- 
ter of established fact. This was in the 
days before the railways made transpor- 
tation rapid, safe, and low enough in 
cost to compete successfully with sailing 
craft. Benjamin C. Mead, with the spirit 
of his forebears strong in him, set out to 
make his own future in the coastwise 
trade. He began on a packet running be- 
tween Bridgeport and New York, loaded 



31 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



with produce from the Connecticut farms. 
Good-tempered, hard-working, possessed 
of excellent judgment and the ability to 
command, he rose rapidly, and was only 
twenty years old when he became cap- 
tain of a vessel. The business was very 
profitable, with no competition, and he 
invested his savings to such good ad- 
vantage that at one time he owned two 
schooners. He always remained in the 
coastwise trade, following the seafaring 
life up to within a short time before his 
death. 

Captain Benjamin C. Mead married 
Mary E. Ritch, daughter of Ralph and 
Clemence (Mead) Ritch (see Ritch VI). 
They were the parents of eight children. 

(The Ritch Line). 

(I) Henry Ritch, the earliest ancestor 
of this family of whom there is record in 
this section of Connecticut, bought land 
of Caleb Webb in Stamford in 1681. In 
1685 he sold this land and removed to 
Greenwich. Here he was granted three 
acres of land, May 19, 1686. He died in 
the latter part of the year 1710. He mar- 
ried (first) October 21, 1680, Martha Pen- 
oyer, daughter of Robert Penoyer. The 
Christian name of his second wife was 
Sarah. 

(II) Thomas Ritch, son of Henry 
Ritch, was born about 1682, and prob- 
ably spent his entire life in the same 
neighborhood. His wife's Christian name 
was Ruth. 

(III) John Ritch, son of Thomas and 
Ruth Ritch, was born May 4, 17 18. He 
married, February 17, 1741, Jemima 
Holmes. 

(IV) James Ritch, son of John and 
Jemima (Holmes) Ritch, was born June 
8, 1763. He married (first) Mary Ann 
Lockwood, born April 15, 1763. Married 
(second) Mary Whelpley, born October 
18, 1774. 



(V) Ralph Ritch, son of James and 
Mary (Whelpley) Ritch, was born March 
9, 1798, and died December 28, 1846. He 
was the seventh child. He married, De- 
cember 5, 1819, Clemence Mead, born De- 
cember 25, 1797, died March 27, 1867, 
daughter of Matthew and Nancy (Hob- 
by) Mead. 

(VI) Mary E. Ritch, daughter of Ralph 
and Clemence (Mead) Ritch, married Cap- 
tain Benjamin C. Mead (see Mead VIII). 



MEAD, Benjamin Heath, 

Attorney-at-Law. 

There was never a time in the history 
of our Nation when there was more im- 
perative need of sane, wholesome man- 
hood in public life. The country needs 
men who do not fear to be leaders, men 
who are able to apply in a practical way 
the deductions which business or profes- 
sional life has taught them to the health 
and upbuilding of the body politic. The 
communities which can command this 
loyal service are taking front rank in the 
march of progress. The city of Stamford, 
Connecticut, counts among these men the 
name of Benjamin Heath Mead, whose 
ancestors have borne their share in the 
founding and development of the city. 

(IX) Benjamin Penfield Mead, son of 
Captain Benjamin C. and Mary E. (Ritch) 
Mead (q. v.), was born in Bridgeport, 
Connecticut, September 23, 1848. He 
was only an infant when his parents, who 
had theretofore lived in Greenwich, re- 
turned to that town. He attended the pub- 
lic schools, and then completed his edu- 
cation in the Greenwich Academy. He 
spent his early years with his father on 
shipboard. But a seafaring life did not 
appeal to him from a business viewpoint, 
and about the time he became of age he 
went to New York and entered the em- 
ploy of Davis & Benson, wholesale flour 



32 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



merchants. He found business life con- 
genial, but after several years with this 
firm became anxious to branch out for 
himself. Going to New Canaan, Connec- 
ticut, he formed a partnership with James 
W. Burtes, and they embarked in the gro- 
cery business. They were very success- 
ful, and this partnership was continued 
until a short time before Mr. Mead's 
death. Mr. Mead was an active member 
of the firm, a first class business man. 
He also became interested in local real 
estate. He had great faith in the future 
prosperity and progress of the town of 
New Canaan, and put heart and soul into 
its development, with the result that 
those who knew can recognize his hand 
in many of the most desirable features of 
the town. He helped to found the New 
Canaan Public Library, and the free read- 
ing room connected with it. He recog- 
nized the fact that the security of our 
Government and her future position 
among the nations of the world rests 
largely on the intelligence of her citizens. 
The library thus started in a humble way 
has grown to be one of the important in- 
stitutions of the town. The memory of 
his work in connection with it, and the 
great heart and broad sympathies of the 
man, will long keep alive the impulse he 
gave it at the start. He was one of the 
founders of the New Canaan Fire Com- 
pany, also founded the New Canaan Wa- 
ter Company with others. 

Mr. Mead was a Republican in political 
affiliation, and it was but natural that his 
party should place a man of his calibre 
in positions of responsibility. He was 
repeatedly elected to public office. He 
held every office in the town government, 
from selectman to auditor. He served as 
first selectman for eight or ten consecu- 
tive years, and was representative to the 
Legislature for three terms — 1885, ^87 
and 1889. He also served in the State 

Conn— 8— 3 



Senate for two years, being elected by the 
Twelfth District. During his legislative 
career he served on the membership com- 
mittee, the school fund, was chairman of 
the fish and game committee, and served 
on the senatorial, charities, and cities and 
boroughs committees. He was state con- 
troller for two consecutive terms. When 
he was elected controller the second time, 
he was the only man on the Republican 
ticket to be elected. He also served for 
a time as state auditor. Although he was 
a candidate for public office upwards of 
thirty times, he was never once defeated. 
Benjamin Penfield Mead married Flor- 
ence Heath, daughter of Benjamin Heath, 
of New Canaan, born in 1857. Of their 
children four grew to maturity ; Benja- 
min Heath, of whom extended mention 
will follow; Harold H., born November 
25, 1888; Stanley Penfield, born in 1890, 
who was graduated from Yale Univer- 
sity, Bachelor of Arts, and from Yale 
Law School, Bachelor of Laws, now a 
member of the firm of Bartram & Mead ; 
Florence Louise, born December 26, 1893. 
The family have always been active in 
the work of the Congregational church, 
Mr. Mead having been until his death a 
trustee of the society, and his wife prom- 
inent in the work of the women's organ- 
izations connected with the church. The 
passing away of Mr. Mead was looked 
upon as a public loss, and his many 
friends united with his family in paying 
respect to his memory. 

(X) Benjamin Heath Mead, the eldest 
child of Benjamin Penfield and Florence 
(Heath) Mead, was born in New Can- 
aan, Connecticut, March 27, 1887. As a 
boy, he was an active, whole-souled fel- 
low, going into study and sports alike 
with the vim and eagerness characteris- 
tic of his family. He was educated in 
King's private school, Stamford, and long 
before his graduation from that institu- 



33 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



tion had mapped out his future. He en- 
tered Yale University and was gradu- 
ated in 1906 with the degree of Bachelor 
of Arts. He then entered Yale Law 
School and was graduated in 1908 with 
the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He was 
admitted to the bar the same year, and 
practiced with his uncle, the Hon. James 
R. Mead, of Greenwich, a review of whose 
life appears in this work, remaining with 
him for about one year. Advantageous 
as this arrangement was, Mr. Mead fol- 
lowed the traditions of the family in strik- 
ing out for himself. In 1909 he formed a 
partnership with Floyd B. Bartram, a 
sketch of whose life also appears in this 
work. The firm name became Bartram & 
Mead, and while it is one of the younger 
law firms in this section these progres- 
sive young men have already won an en- 
viable position in their profession. While 
Mr. Mead was still in college he was cap- 
tain of the Yale Military Company, and 
during the recent World War he devoted 
every possible resource and a very large 
share of his time to the forwarding of 
every public movement in support of the 
American Expeditionary Force. He was 
captain of a team on each of the Liberty 
Loan drives, was secretary of the Salva- 
tion Army Drive, and the law office of 
Bartram & Mead took care of all the cler- 
ical work connected therewith. Mr. Mead 
also worked on all the Red Cross drives. 
Socially, he is much sought. He is 
a member of the Beta Theta Pi; of 
Wooster Lodge, No. 37, Independent Or- 
der of Odd Fellows ; of Union Lodge, No. 
5, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. 
He is serving his second year as presi- 
dent of the Stamford Kiwanis Club, and 
is a member of the Suburban Club. 

Mr. Mead married Ivy St. John Corn- 
stock, daughter of Frank L. and Esther 
Elizabeth Comstock, and they are the 
parents of four children : Benjamin 



Heath, Jr., Esther Elizabeth and Flor- 
ence Louise, twin daughters, and Faith 
Bickford. Mr. and Mrs. Mead are active 
members of the Congregational church, 
where Mr. Mead has served as trustee and 
assistant superintendent of the Sunday 
school. He is now president of the 
Young People's Society. 

It takes no prophet to foresee for Mr. 
Mead a future which shall make a mark 
on the history of the city and the State. 
He is a Republican in political affilia- 
tim, and has served on the Town Com- 
nvttee and on the Board of Finance of 
X»-w Canaan, and on the Town Highway 
Commission. He was nominated for Sen- 
ator from the district, but was defeated 
by the Progressive party, which split the 
normal Republican vote. He has taken 
the stump with good effect for the party 
in several political campaigns. 



MEAD, Hon. James R., 

Lawyer, Jurist. 

In public life to serve is the greatest 
honor. The man who has given most of 
the depths of his experience, of the 
breadth of his sympathies, or the strength 
of his spirit, this is the man to whom the 
world, often all unwittingly, yields the 
tribute of confidence. That this tribute 
carries with its burdens and responsibili- 
ties makes it no less an honor, but it is 
rarely bestowed where it is undeserved. 
With such a man as the Hon. James R. 
Mead, of Greenwich, Connecticut, it is 
not difficult to understand why the people 
place in him the confidence which a child 
feels in his father, or a man in a leader 
who has proven his capability under 
stress of adverse circumstances. Judge 
Mead has won and held the confidence of 
the people during all the years in which 
he has been a member of the Fairfield 
county bar. 



34 





/\J4AAJUju^ 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



(IX) Hon. James R. Mead, the eminent 
attorney and judge of Greenwich, Con- 
necticut, son of Captain Benjamin C. and 
Mary E. (Ritch) Mead (q. v.), was born 
in the town of Greenwich, Connecticut, 
August 28, i860. He received his elemen- 
tary education in the public schools of 
his native town, and later attended the 
Greenwich Academy. He was a devoted 
and thorough student, loving research for 
its own sake as well as for the purpose 
it served in forwarding his life ambition. 
He entered the law office of Colonel H. 
W. R. Hoyt, of Greenwich, and after 
studying under his able preceptorship was 
admitted to the bar, May 19, 1882. From 
the first he showed promise of the re- 
markable power which he developed in 
later life. He remained with Colonel 
Hoyt for three years longer, then opened 
an office of his own in Greenwich. He 
has carried on for the greater part a gen- 
eral law practice, but has handled some 
very interesting and celebrated cases. 

The services of a man of this calibre 
could not be overlooked by that public 
which needs men. Judge Mead has al- 
ways been affiliated with the Republican 
party, and the party needed him. Not 
only did the party need him, the city and 
State needed him, for he was not a man 
to subserve the good of the public to the 
interests of the party. He was first 
elected town clerk, in 1886, and held the 
office continuously for seventeen years. 
He was assistant prosecuting attorney of 
the Borough Court for ten years. In June, 
1889, he was elected deputy judge of the 
Borough Court, which office he held for 
two years ; he served for two years as 
warden of the borough of Greenwich, and 
was for four years its borough attorney, 
and for six years a member of the Board 
of Burgesses of the borough of Green- 
wich ; then was elected to the State Leg- 
islature and served in the session of 1903. 



He served as house chairman of the in- 
surance committee; was member of the 
committee on congressional and sena- 
torial districts. In 191 5 he was elected 
to the State Senate and reelected in 1917. 
He served as chairman at both sessions 
of the Senate committee on cities and 
boroughs. He was again reelected in 
1919, and was made Senate chairman of 
the committee on appropriations. He is 
chairman of the committee appointed by 
the last Legislature to frame a new ad- 
ministration code. He has been delegate 
to many party conventions, and has 
served his party on the stump in many 
important and closely contested cam- 
paigns. In the public institutions of the 
town of Greenwich, Judge Mead has al- 
ways held positions of dignity and re- 
sponsibility. He is a director of the 
Greenwich National Bank, and president 
of the Greenwich Water Company. He 
is president of the Putnam Cemetery As- 
sociation, and of the New Canaan Water 
Company. 

Judge Mead married Elizabeth M. 
Stone, daughter of Thomas Stone, of 
Brooklyn, New York. They have long 
attended and supported the Congrega- 
tional church. 



MEAD, Charles, 

Member of Important Family. 

The best asset in a community is its 
strong men, men of honor and integrity. 
These men leave a definite impression 
upon the public, the professional and in- 
dustrial life of a city. They prove the 
truth of the assertion that "The world 
today is what the men of the last gener- 
ation have made it." Closely interwoven 
with the history of Fairfield county is the 
history of the Mead family. Members of 
this family have been settled there since 



35 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



a very early date, and they have taken a 
vital interest in all of its affairs. 

(III) Ebenezer Mead, son of John and 
Hannah (Potter) Mead (q. v.), was born 
in 1663, and died in 1728. He married, 
in 1691, Sarah Knapp, of Stamford, Con- 
necticut. 

(IV) Ebenezer (2) Mead, son of Eben- 
ezer (1) and Sarah (Knapp) Mead, was 
born October 25, 1692, and died May 3, 
1775. He married, December 12, 1717, 
Hannah Brown, of Rye, New York. 

(V) Jonas Mead, son of Ebenezer (2) 
and Hannah (Brown) Mead, was born 
December 25, 1723, and died September 
14, 1783. He married Sarah Howe, 
daughter of Captain Isaac Howe, born 
January 9, 1741, died December 8, 1779. 

(VI) Deacon Jonas (2) Mead, son of 
Jonas (1) and Sarah (Howe) Mead, was 
born April 13, 17 — , and died August 2, 
1871. He married, January 2, 1809, Han- 
nah Hebbard, daughter of Nathaniel Heb- 
bard, who died March 12, 1814. 

(VII) Deacon Charles Mead, son of 
Deacon Jonas (2) and Hannah (Hebbard) 
Mead, was born February 4, 1812, and 
died January 10, 1898. He was educated 
in Greenwich, Connecticut, and the work 
of farming occupied the greater part of 
his life. In his youth he was a member 
of the Train Band. He married, Decem- 
ber 31, 1831, Rachel Elizabeth Sackett 
(see Sackett VIII). 

Mr. and Mrs. Mead were the parents of 
the following children : Sarah A., wife of 
Benjamin P. Brush ; Whitman Sackett, 
whose sketch follows ; Mary E., wife of 
Zophar Mead ; Hannah H., born Septem- 
ber 2, 185 1 ; Charles Noah, whose sketch 
follows. 

(The Sackett Line). 

(I) Simon Sackett, the first of the fam- 
ily in New England, died in October, 
1635. He came to New England in the 
ship "Lyon" in 1630, and was among the 



first settlers of Newton, now Cambridge, 
Massachusetts. 

(II) Simon (2) Sackett, son of Simon 
(1) Sackett, was born in 1630, and was 
but an infant when his parents brought 
him to America. He died in 1659. He 
married, in 1652, Sarah Bloomfield, 
daughter of William and Sarah Bloom- 
field. 

(III) Captain Joseph Sackett, son of 
Simon (2) and Sarah (Bloomfield) Sack- 
ett, was born in Springfield, Massachu- 
setts, February 23, 1656, and died July 23, 

1719. He lived in Newton, Long Island, 
and held many public offices. He was a 
member of the Presbyterian church. He 
married Elizabeth Betts, daughter of Cap- 
tain Richard Betts. 

(IV) Rev. Richard Sackett, son of 
Captain Joseph and Elizabeth (Betts) 
Sackett, was born about 1686, and died 
May 8, 1737. In 1709 he was graduated 
from Yale College, where he had studied 
for the ministry. In 171 1 he was the 
preacher in Maidenhead and Hopewell, 
New Jersey, and the following year was 
in Saybrook. In 1714 he was in Green- 
wich, Connecticut, preaching, and two 
years later in that part of Greenwich 
called Horse Neck. In 1717 a new church 
was formed there of which he was or- 
dained the pastor. He labored diligently 
among his flock and was greatly beloved. 
He died May 9, 1727. 

(V) Hon. Nathaniel Sackett, son of 
Rev. Richard Sackett, was born June 8, 

1720, and died before 1768. About 1739 
he married Anne Bush, daughter of Justus 
Bush, Jr., who died about 1746. For some 
years Mr. Sackett lived in New York City, 
where he was in business. He was a 
member of Captain Van Home's military 
company; in 1753 ne established his per- 
manent home in Greenwich, Connecticut. 
In 1756 he was representative, also in 



36 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



1760; and from 1757 to 1760 he served 
as justice of the peace. 

(VI) Justus Sackett, son of Hon. Na- 
thaniel and Anne (Bush) Sackett, was 
born in 1740, and died January 15, 1827. 
Pie married Anna Lyon. 

(VII) John Sackett, son of Justus and 
Anna (Lyon) Sackett, was married, Jan- 
uary 12, 1809, to Mary Mead, daughter of 
Whitman and Rachel Mead. He died in 
1864. 

(VIII) Rachel Elizabeth Sackett, the 
daughter of John and Mary (Mead) 
Sackett, was born December 19, 181 1, 
died July 18, 1885. She became the wife 
of Deacon Charles Mead (see Mead VII). 



MEAD, Whitman Sackett, 

Public-spirited Citizen. 

Whitman S. Mead, son of Deacon 
Charles and Rachel Elizabeth (Sackett) 
Mead (q.v.), was born April 17, 1841, in 
Byram, on the Byram river, Connecti- 
cut, and was educated in the school at 
Coscob and the Greenwich Academy of 
Greenwich, Connecticut. At the age of 
eighteen years he went to work for a 
wholesale dry goods house in New York 
City, where he continued until the out- 
break of the Civil War. The members of 
this firm being Southerners, they natu- 
rally returned to the South and at the 
same time Mr. Mead returned to his na- 
tive home to care for his father's farm. 
Since 1686 this homestead has been in 
possession of the family. Business in- 
terests soon engaged his attention and 
practically all of his time were devoted 
to them, although throughout his entire 
life he managed the farm interests. Mr. 
, Mead was a trustee of the Greenwich 
Trust and Loan Company, and a director 
of the Rippowam Woolen Manufactur- 
ing Company. He was very active in 
public matters ; his vote was cast for Ab- 



raham Lincoln in i860, and he was a 
staunch supporter of the principles of the 
Republican party. Mr. Mead was hon- 
ored with many positions of trust and re- 
sponsibility ; he was registrar and select- 
man, and was appointed in July, 1891, 
county commissioner. In January, 1897, 
he was appointed judge of probate. In 
many ways he gave assistance to those 
who needed it ; he gave of his time to the 
public welfare and of his finances to those 
charitable movements which brought hope 
and many times sunshine to the less for- 
tunate. He was held in the highest re- 
spect, and at his death in 1914 was sin- 
cerely mourned. 

Mr. Mead married, February 9, 1871, 
Sara Sackett, born September II, 1845, 
daughter of J. Ralph and Mary E. (Mead) 
Sackett, and this marriage was blessed 
with four daughters. They were : Julia, 
Clara, Helen and Marion. 



MEAD, Charles Noah, 

Merchant. 

Charles Noah Mead, son of Deacon 
Charles and Rachel Elizabeth (Sackett) 
Mead (q.v.), was born in Greenwich, 
Connecticut, February 25, 1854. The 
Academy of Greenwich afforded him his 
early education, and the intervals between 
were spent in assisting his father about 
the work of the homestead. Through this 
outdoor exercise the young man devel- 
oped a sound mind and healthy body, and 
was well equipped to enter the business 
world. 

In partnership with Henry M. Brush, 
the oldest dry goods business in Green- 
wich was purchased in the early eighties. 
For many years they carried on the busi- 
ness under the firm name of Mead & 
Brush. The interests of his partner were 
subsequently purchased by Mr. Mead, 
who continued to conduct it alone for 



37 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



several years. With the natural growth 
of the town and the growth needed in 
business to compete with this, Mr. Mead 
incorporated the business, since which 
time he has acted as president. During 
his many years in business Mr. Mead has 
been distinguished for his high-minded 
integrity, and all those who come in con- 
tact with him admire his qualities. He 
has rendered faithful and conscientious 
service to his city and State. For many 
years he has served as deacon of the Con- 
gregational church of Greenwich, and is 
the sixth in direct descent of his family 
to hold this office. In the spring of 1919, 
Mr. Mead put a new bell in the church 
tower in memory of the ancestors who 
had preceded him in the office of deacon. 



MEAD, Oliver Deliverance. 

Business Man. 

The name of Mead is frequently found 
on the pages of history of Fairfield county, 
Connecticut. From the earliest settle- 
ments in that colony the members of this 
family have been prominent and are still 
to-day upholding the prestige and honor- 
able position which they have occupied 
for generations. 

(V) Jared Mead, son of Ebenezer (2) 
and Hannah (Brown) Mead (q. v.), was 
born December 15, 1738, died May 8, 
1832. He married, December 10, 1775, 
Lydia Smith, born December 8, 1754, died 
January 27, 1824, daughter of Daniel 
Smith. 

(VI) Daniel Smith Mead, son of Jared 
and Lydia (Smith) Mead, was born No- 
vember 20, 1778, and died December 21, 
1831. He married, January 16, 1806, Ra- 
chel Mead, born September 2, 1779, died 
January 10, 1859, daughter of Joshua 
Mead. 

(VII) Daniel Smith (2) Mead, son of 
Daniel Smith (1) and Rachel (Mead) 



Mead, was born in Greenwich, Connec- 
ticut, on the site now occupied by the 
undertaking rooms of Mr. Knapp, April 
9, 181 1, and died in 1906. His educa- 
tional opportunities were limited, but he 
was a keen student of human nature and 
was highly respected for his opinions. 
He was a farmer, and in politics was 
originally a Whig and later a Republican. 
Mr. Mead was an exceptionally quiet, 
home-loving man, and for many years a 
member of the Congregational church. 
He married, November 26, 1832, Huldah 
Mead, daughter of Ephraim Mead, born 
February 5, 1812, died October 27, 1882. 
Their children were: Ophelia, married 
William Long; Esther A., married Isaac 
Mead; Daniel Smith (3); Oliver D., of 
further mention. 

(VIII) Oliver Deliverance Mead, son 
of Daniel Smith (2) and Huldah (Mead) 
Mead, was born in Greenwich, Connecti- 
cut, December 29, 1842. He was brought 
up on the home farm and remained there 
until 1882, when he removed to his pres- 
ent residence in Field Point Park, where 
he continued farming. Later he organ- 
ized the Field Point Land Company, of 
which he has since been president, and 
cut the farm up into house lots. In this 
way one hundred and fifteen acres have 
been developed into the most beautiful 
residence sections of the State. Mr. 
Mead was also president of the Green- 
wich Niationa 1 Bank for ten years. For 
thirteen years he served in the State 
Militia. 

Mr. Mead married Cornelia Scofield, 
daughter of William and Cornelia (Mead) 
Scofield. Cornelia (Mead) Scofield was 
born September 12, 1820, and died June 
9, 1873. William Scofield, her husband, 
was born September 29, 1816, and died 
February 16, 1906. He was of Stamford. 
He was a son of Rufus Scofield, who died 
in Greenwich, July 28, 1854, aged sev- 



38 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



enty-five years. He owned and ran for 
some years a mill on the west side of the 
Mianus river at Ccscob, Connecticut. Mr. 
and Mrs. Mead were the parents of three 
children : Cora A., married Adam Guy, 
of Brooklyn, New York ; Olive May, mar- 
ried Newell L. Mead ; Lydia Smith, mar- 
ried William J. Ferris, a sketch of whom 
appears elsewhere in this work. Mr. 
Mead and his wife attend the Congrega- 
tional church of Greenwich. 



NASH, Paul, 

Civil Engineer. 

The story of America is a story of 
workers. The big men of our nation, 
from the beginning, have been men who 
were not afraid to go out and take hold 
of the real work of the world. They have 
not despised the grime and exhaustion of 
toil, and have given to labor a dignity 
which it never before had received. Be- 
cause this is true, America has become 
a nation of achievement and the men who 
belong to the great army of workers hold 
a higher position than those who belong 
to the aristocracies of old. Paul Nash, 
the prominent civil engineer of Stamford, 
is one of those men whose pride is his 
work. 

The name of Nash is of Saxon origin. 
In the early times the prefix atte was 
much used with the first surnames, as 
Atte-Wood ; and for euphony an "n" was 
often added. Such was the case with the 
name "Atte-n-Ash." In the natural evo- 
lution of the name, the prefix was gradu- 
ally dropped, and the name became Nash. 
In all probability the first bearer of the 
name lived near an ash tree or an ash 
wood. 

(I) The earliest known ancestor of the 
family, Edward Nash, was born in Lan- 
caster, England, in August, 1592, in the 
reign of Queen Elizabeth. 



(II) Edward (2) Nash, son of Edward 
(1) Nash, was born in Lancaster, Eng- 
land, in 1623, and emigrated to America 
in 1649 or I 650. He resided in Stratford, 
Connecticut, for two years, where his 
daughter Anna was born January 18, 
165 1. In 1652 he removed to Norwalk, 
Connecticut, and there followed his occu- 
pation of tanner near where Christ Epis- 
copal Church now stands in East Nor- 
walk. There was a stream of water there 
which was used by Edward Nash in his 
business of tanner. It is believed that he 
was the first hearthstone occupant of the 
town of Norwalk, and the early records 
give no cause to doubt it. In 1690 he had 
a large estate rated at £216, and unvary- 
ing tradition says he lived to the age of 
seventy-six years. 

(III) John Nash, son of Edward (2) 
Nash, was the first white male child born 
in Norwalk, in 1652, and he died between 
1712 and 1713. He was presented with 
a piece of land on which now stands 
Christ Episcopal Church in East Nor- 
walk. John Nash married, May 1, 1684, 
Mary, daughter of Thomas Barlow, of 
Fairfield, whose widow Edward Nash had 
previously married for his second wife. 
Mrs. Mary Nash died September 2, 171 1. 

(IV) John (2) Nash, son of John (1) 
and Mary Nash, was born December 25, 
1688. He married, May 19, 1709, Abigail 
Blakeley, daughter of Ebenezer Blakeley, 
of New Haven, Connecticut, and they 
were the parents of ten children. 

(V) Micajah Nash, son of John (2) 
and Abigail (Blakeley) Nash, was born 
in 1720. He married, October 9, 1744, 
Mary Scribner, daughter of John and De- 
borah (Lee) Scribner. 

(VI) Daniel Nash, son of Micajah and 
Mary (Scribner) Nash, was born Decem- 
ber 2, 1747. He married Freelove Wright, 
daughter of Dennis and Susannah 
(Smith) Wright, April 24, 1768. He later 



39 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



removed to Patchogue, Long Island, 
where he had a saw mill and sawed lum- 
ber for the soldiers in the Revolution. 

(VII) Daniel (2) Nash, son of Daniel 
(1) and Freelove (Wright) Nash, was 
born May 12, 1770, in Patchogue, Long 
Island. He married Rebecca Camp, 
daughter of Jonathan and Hannah (Bou- 
ton) Camp, of Norwalk, October 9, 1808. 
Daniel Nash had a saw and grist mill on 
the King's Highway. He died August 
2, 1865. 

(VIII) Andrew Camp Nash, son of 
Daniel (2) and Rebecca (Camp) Nash, 
was born June 4, 1811, and died July II, 
1897. He was a farmer. On January 18, 
1835, he married Eliza A. Adams, daugh- 
ter of Jabez and Anna Adams. 

(IX) Edward Adams Nash, son of 
Andrew Camp and Eliza A. (Adams) 
Nash, was born December 25, 1841. He 
married Mary Edwards Morey, of Kent, 
Connecticut, June 6, 1866, and their chil- 
dren were : Edward Irving, born October 
10, 1867; Anne Winifred, born March 13, 
1869, who married W. J. Wood ; and Paul, 
of whom further. 

(X) Paul Nash, son of Edward Adams 
and Mary Edwards (Morey) Nash, was 
born December 3, 1870, in Westport, Con- 
necticut. As a boy he showed interest 
in any kind of construction work. He re- 
ceived his early education in the public 
schools of Westport, then the South Nor- 
walk High School, from which he was 
graduated in 1886, and Sheffield Scientific 
School of Yale University in 1887, from 
which institution he was graduated in 
1890 with the degree of Bachelor of Phil- 
osophy. He immediately struck out into 
active work along his chosen line, work- 
ing for two years in association with 
W. B. Rider, civil engineer of Norwalk. 
Then he entered the employ of the Yale 
& Towne Manufacturing Company, with 
whom he remained for six years. This 



experience placed the young man where 
he felt the confidence in himself which is 
only to be won through actual handling 
of practical problems in any line of work. 
The opportunity offered, and in 1899 ne 
became the city engineer of Stamford. 
This is a position of more than usual re- 
sponsibility, because it includes not only 
the usual engineering work of the city, 
but the work usually done by a contractor 
of public works, since the policy of the 
city of Stamford is to handle practically 
all its own work along this line. This, of 
course, involves the direction of large in- 
terests and the employment of consider- 
able labor. Mr. Nash has on an average 
about one hundred men working under 
him. He has been very successful in the 
management of the interests placed in his 
hands, being keen-witted and at the same 
time judicious, showing acute discern- 
ment and sound farsighted common sense 
in the conservation and development of 
the natural physical advantages and re- 
sources of the city, so far as they have 
come into his hands. In his twenty years 
of service as an administrative officer of 
the municipality, during which time its 
population has more than doubled, many 
substantial improvements and develop- 
ments have been made in the various lines 
of public work, assuring for the city of 
Stamford a place with the really pro- 
gressive cities of the country. Mr. Nash 
is a member of the American Society of 
Civil Engineers, also the Connecticut 
Society and the Yale Engineering Soci- 
ety ; also a member of Union Lodge, No. 
5, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; 
the Suburban Club of Stamford ; the 
Stamford Yacht Club. 

Mr. Nash married, April 6, 1893, Anna 
May Punzelt, daughter of James P. Pun- 
zelt, of South Norwalk. They are the 
parents of two children : Pauline, born 
February 21, 1903; Edward Maynard, 



40 





*L 





*~^%^CrtXS\UZL~ I , jr&SL^dL 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



born September 13, 1906. Mr. and Mrs. 
Nash are members of St. John's Episco- 
pal Church, of Stamford, of which Mr. 
Nash is vestryman. The family are much 
sought socially, and are among the thor- 
oughly representative people of the city. 



NASH, Edward Colt, 

Business Man. 

(VIII) Edward Hawks Nash, son of 
Daniel (2) and Rebecca (Camp) Nash 
(q. v.), was born August 6, 1809. He was 
a miller and farmer and had a planing and 
grist mill. He was a director of the West- 
port Bank. He was ambitious, thrifty, 
and gave much time to religious work. 
With his brother, Andrew Camp Nash, he 
gave the land and a large amount of 
money which made possible the building 
of new Christ Church and gave it an en- 
dowment. On October 9, 1836, he mar- 
ried (first) Abigail Gorham, and she died 
January 16, 1861. He married (second) 
September 17, 1861, Margaret Newkirk 
Williams, daughter of Reuben and Ame- 
lia Williams, and she died in 1871. Mrs. 
Margaret Nash was a descendant of Wil- 
liam Williams, who served in the Revolu- 
tion under Captain Godfrey and Colonel 
Dimon. 

(IX) Lloyd Nash, son of Edward 
Hawks and Margaret Newkirk (Wil- 
liams) Nash, was born in Westport, Con- 
necticut, February 18, 1865. He was 
educated in the district schools, and sub- 
sequently followed a course at a business 
college. From an early age he proved 
himself a very good mechanic, and al- 
though but fifteen years old he was in 
charge of the grist and cider mills on his 
father's farm. He succeeded the latter in 
the management of these in later years. 
Mr. Nash added to the estates, and for 
many years was among the most progres- 
sive business men of Westport. He was 



active in many outside matters, in indus- 
trial affairs, and also in public affairs. 
Mr. Nash was vice-president of the West- 
port & Saugautuck Street Railway Com- 
pany and also connected with the street 
railroad lines in Petersburg, Virginia, of 
which he was vice-president; he was also 
second vice-president of the Franklin 
Society of Home Building and Home Sav- 
ings in New York. 

In politics, Mr. Nash was a staunch 
Republican ; on several occasions he was 
honored with public office, and in every 
instance he proved himself worthy of the 
choice of his constituents. In 1900 he was 
representative, during which time he 
served on the committee on banks ; in 
1902 he was elected State senator, and 
was a member of the committee on Senate 
appointments and contingent expenses. 
During the session he served as chairman 
of the committee on banks and the com- 
mittee on woman suffrage. Mr. Nash and 
his family attended the Episcopal church, 
Westport, and for many years he served 
as a vestryman of that church. 

Mr. Nash married, April 6, 1885, Char- 
lotte Flelen Colt, a native of Exeter, Ot- 
sego county, New York. On her maternal 
side, Mrs. Nash was descended from John 
Pratt, who was settled in New England 
in 1632. Mr. and Mrs. Nash were the 
parents of four children, two of whom 
survived. They are : Edward Colt, of 
further mention ; Louise Helen, born 
September 11, 1888, married W. Clark 
Crossman, and resides in Westport, Con- 
necticut. Mr. Nash died July 24, 1908. 

(X) Edward Colt Nash, son of Lloyd 
and Charlotte Helen (Colt) Nash, was 
born February 14, 1887. He was educa- 
ted in the public schools. When he was 
about twelve years of age he was placed 
in the Norwalk University and there spent 
six years. Two years were then spent 
at the Chase School for Boys in Bridge- 



41 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



port, Connecticut, and two in the Pratt 
Institute, Brooklyn, New York. On July 
20, 1908, he graduated and took charge 
of his father's estate. He had just then 
taken up the ice business, which was pro- 
duced on a pond on his own farm, which 
contains about seventy-five acres. He 
developed this business to double its 
original amount, and conducts a large 
wholesale as well as retail business, run- 
ning seven auto trucks, covering a large 
territory and employing about a dozen 
men. Mr. Nash also carries on the cider 
business, making a large quantity of vine- 
gar. Since 191 1 he has also engaged in 
the trucking business, having motors en- 
gaged in long distance hauling. 

In spite of the demands made on his 
time by his business, Mr. Nash has taken 
an active interest in military matters and 
other public affairs. During the World 
War he was a member of the State Guard, 
and was captain of the Westport Com- 
pany, disbanded in January, 1919. He 
then joined the reserves, and in March, 
1920, was assigned to Company I, 4th In- 
fantry, Connecticut State Guard, of Nor- 
walk, as captain ; was appointed major, 
February 1, 1921. 

Mr. Nash married Anna Barbara Ebel, 
daughter of William G. Ebel, of Albany, 
New York, and they are the parents of 
four children : Harriet C, Anna Barbara, 
Louise Helen, Lloyd William. Mr. Nash 
and his family attend Christ Episcopal 
Church, of which he is a vestryman. 



WILKINS, Albert James, 

Deceased. 

The terminations, kin, kind, ling, let, 
and so forth, have the same signification 
as the Latin, genus, meaning race, off- 
spring, or children. It is from the Ger- 
man, kind (a child), the diminutive ter- 
mination, kin, is derived, and thus we 



have the names, Watkin, meaning the son 
of Wat or Walter, and Wilkin, the son of 
Will or William. In very early times the 
Anglo-Saxons affixed this termination to 
the father's name, and always we find the 
"s" appended by the Welsh. The name 
of Wilkins is Welsh. 

Albert James Wilkins was born in 
Utica, New York, January 19, 1848, son 
of Luke and Elizabeth (Downs) Wilkins, 
natives of Wales. Mr. Wilkins died in 
Bridgeport, Connecticut, March 8, 1904. 
He married, October 5, 1870, Eliza Anna 
Nash, a scion of one of the oldest families 
in Fairfield county (see Nash VIII). Mr. 
and Mrs. Wilkins were the parents of a 
daughter, Mary Amelia, born in May, 
1872, died July 2, 1894. 



RAYMOND, Thomas I., 

Prominent Business Man. 

Active in business and general affairs 
of his community at an age when most 
men seek the rest and ease of retirement, 
Thomas I. Raymond was called from his 
busy life on May 8, 1920, in his seventy- 
third year. The widespread sorrow that 
was felt and the many expressions of re- 
gard and sympathy that poured from all 
quarters were the tribute of his fellows to 
a life lived purposefully and well, to the 
earnest endeavors of a man to perform his 
duties as they appeared to him, and to 
one who followed high ideals in every 
relation of life. 

The name of Raymond is of very an- 
cient French origin. It is derived from 
two French words, rai, signifying a beam 
of light, and monde, meaning world. The 
Latin word raimundus is its exact equiva- 
lent. The history of the French family of 
Raymond is intensely interesting, includ- 
ing, as it does, a long line of Counts of 
Toulouse. Several of them participated 
in the Crusades, and in other ways they 



42 



^ JjJ, 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



played important roles in making the his- 
tory of their times. It is said that in the 
civilization and refinement of its people 
the County of Toulouse and its indepen- 
dent lordships early in the twelfth century 
far surpassed all other parts of Gaul. Its 
citizens enjoyed religious liberty and free- 
dom of speech ; Jew, Christian, and infidel 
lived side by side in mutual tolerance ; 
and commerce, literature, the arts, and 
sciences flourished under a form of gov- 
ernment at least suggesting the repub- 
lican. The Raymonds supported the 
Albigenses, and suffered greatly during 
the persecutions of that sect. 

According to Lower, a leading author- 
ity en the origin of surnames, Raymond 
Berenger, who went down under the 
sword of the first Simon de Montfort, 
presumably in the Albigensian War, bore 
one of the earliest double names. The 
names of Stephen and Pierre Raymond 
are found on the rolls of the first Knights 
Hospitaler of the Order of St. John of 
Jerusalem early in the twelfth century. 
The persecutions of the Albigenses scat- 
tered many of the Raymond families to 
the surrounding countries, and some of 
them went to England about the time of 
the Conquest. Apparently they first set- 
tled at a place called Raymond, in the 
Hundred of Wye, in Kent. The Essex 
families of the name claim descent from 
the settlers in Kent. 

(I) Richard Raymond, the immigrant 
ancestor of the family here under consid- 
eration, probably came from County Sus- 
sex, England. This assumption is based 
on the fact that he lived in the territory 
included in the Captain John Mason 
Colony and that the members of that 
colony came from Sussex county. Rich- 
ard Raymond was made a freeman in 
Salem, Massachusetts, May 14, 1634. On 
January 2, 1636, he was granted half an 
acre of land at Winter Harbor (now Win- 



ter Island in Salem Harbor) "for fishing 
trade and to build upon." The same year 
he received a grant of sixty acres at what 
is now Manchester, Massachusetts. In 
1660 he sold a one-fourth interest in "the 
good Ketch called the Hopewell of Sa- 
lem." On October 20, 1662, he bought a 
house and lot in Norwalk, Connecticut, 
and it is probable that he became a resi- 
dent of Norwalk soon after his purchase. 
Two years later he moved to Saybrook. 
He called himself a mariner and engaged 
in coastwise trade with the Dutch and 
English settlers on Manhattan Island. 
It is also said that he made voyages to 
the Barbadoes. He and his wife, Judith, 
were members of the First Church at 
Salem before 1636, and all his children 
but John were baptized there. In 1676 
he gave by will all of his lands in Norwalk 
"unto those children which my son, John 
Raymond, allready have or may have, by 
Mary Raymond, his present wife." 

(II) John Raymond, son of Richard 
and Judith Raymond, drew lot No. 21 in 
a division of lots in the winter wheat field 
made in Norwalk in 1668. He also re- 
ceived a share of the common lands di- 
vided in 1687. He married, December 10, 

1664, Mary Betts, born in Guilford, in 
1646, daughter of Thomas Betts, of Nor- 
walk, who had only recently arrived in 
the plantation. Thomas Betts was born 
in England, in 1615-16. He was enrolled, 
seventeenth in number, on the Guilford, 
Connecticut, settlers-register. Accom- 
panied by his wife, Mary, he came to Nor- 
walk about 1660. His wife may possibly 
have been married before her Betts union, 
as in the will of Thomas Betts, Sr., exe- 
cuted May 10, 1688, he refers to "her 
children." 

(III) John (2) Raymond, son of John 
(1 ) and Mary (Betts) Raymond, was born 
in Norwalk, Connecticut, September 9, 

1665, and died April 12, 1737. He was an 



43 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



important man in the town, captain of the 
train band, and a large owner of real es- 
tate. On December 16, 1713, he was, 
with Captain Joseph Piatt and Ensign 
James Stewart, appointed a committee 
to make a settlement of a highway or 
road to Ridgefield, "if they and the com- 
mittee of Ridgefield can agree; and doth 
fully impower said committee to make 
restitution to such persons that said high- 
way may take land from within the limits 
of Norwalk township." 

On March 7, 1690, he married Elizabeth 
St. John, daughter of Samuel St. John, 
granddaughter of Matthias St. John, Sr. 
Her mother was Elizabeth (Hoyt) St. 
John, daughter of Walter Hoyt. Mat- 
thias St. John was born in England, and 
came to Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 
1631-32. The record of the marriage of 
John Raymond, Jr., reads : "He took to 
wife and was married unto Elizabeth 
Sension, the daughter of Samuel Sension, 
on the 7th day of March, 1690." 

(IV) Jabez Raymond, son of John (2) 
and Elizabeth (St. John) Raymond, was 
born April 1, 1705. He married Rebecca 
Piatt, born April 9, 1713, daughter of 
Samuel and Rebecca Piatt. He died at a 
good age, his will, drawn August 26, 1783, 
being court-proven August 3, 1789. His 
wife evidently survived him but a few 
months, as her estate was inventoried 
March 26, 1790. Their heirs were Jo- 
siah, their son, and the children of their 
deceased daughter, Ann, wife of Samuel 
Piatt, son of John Piatt, 3rd. They ap- 
pear to have lost an unmarried daughter, 
Hannah, in 1770. 

(V) Josiah Raymond, son of Jabez and 
Rebecca (Piatt) Raymond, married, No- 
bember 5, 1765, Molly Merwine, in Nor- 
walk. She was from Greenfield Hill and 
belonged originally, it seems, to the New 
Haven family of that name. She was but 
eighteen years of age at marriage, but 



brought with her to her Norwalk home 
after her marriage several of the Green- 
field slaves, who worked in and out of 
doors and were a domestic power. 

(VI) Thomas Raymond, son of Josiah 
and Molly (Merwine) Raymond, married, 
March 1, 1797, Eunice Meeker, of Green- 
field, and they lived in Ridgefield in the 
early part of the nineteenth century. 

(VII) William Meeker Raymond, son 
of Thomas and Eunice (Meeker) Ray- 
mond, was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, 
in 1809, died in 1887. He was educated 
in the public schools, grew to manhood 
on the home farm, and all his life was a 
husbandman. When the time came for 
him to establish a home of his own, he 
bought land adjoining the homestead, and 
there built a house which sheltered him 
all his days. A man of quiet, unassum- 
ing manners, he took the interest of a 
good citizen in public affairs and shirked 
no duty that devolved upon him as a citi- 
zen or neighbor. The attractions of 
public office held no lure for him and he 
never accepted political office. He mar- 
ried Sarah E. Throop, daughter of Isaac 
Throop, of Easton, Connecticut, and they 
were the parents of the following chil- 
dren, who grew to maturity: 1. William 
T., born November 19, 1839, died in May, 
1918. a lifelong resident of Norwalk. He 
was educated in the public schools, and 
when twenty years of age started to make 
his own way in the world. His first em- 
ployment was in a hotel in Westport, 
where he acquired sufficient knowledge of 
the business to open a hotel of his own. 
He continued in that business until 1871, 
when he was admitted to a partnership 
with his brother, Thomas I., who was 
already establshed in business. The 
firm, Raymond Brothers, continued until 
the death of the elder brother, who bore 
his share of the burdens of the business 
until his death. Like his father, he had 



44 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



no taste for political life, but he was ever 
ready to give of his time, means and en- 
ergy in furthering any movement that 
promised to advance the interests of the 
community. He married Josephine A. 
Lockwood, daughter of George Lock- 
wood, of Wilton. Mrs. Raymond's death 
occurred about two years before her hus- 
band's. 2. Thomas I., mentioned below. 
3. Henry W., deceased. 4. Sarah Eliza, 
married H. R. Gorham. 5. Ruth Zelda, 
married Robert W. Keeler, of Wilton, 
Connecticut, who is mentioned elsewhere 
in this work. Mr. and Mrs. William 
Meeker Raymond were consistent mem- 
bers of the Baptist church. 

(VIII) Thomas I. Raymond, son of 
William Meeker and Sarah E. (Throop) 
Raymond, was born August 17, 1846. He 
received his formal education in the pub- 
lic schools of Norwalk, Meeker's private 
school in Westport, and Wheeler Insti- 
tute in Easton, Connecticut. At the age 
of sixteen he left the home farm and en- 
tered the lumber office of C. F. Tolles, in 
South Norwalk. After about eighteen 
months he left Mr. Tolles to become a 
teller in the First National Bank of South 
Norwalk, a position he filled for only six 
months, when an opportunity then pre- 
sented to become a teller in the Fourth 
National Bank of New York City. This 
offer he accepted and he continued in the 
employ of that bank until 1868, when he 
returned to South Norwalk, having mar- 
ried the previous year Elizabeth A. Tolles, 
the daughter of his former employer. He 
next established himself in the coal trade 
on his own account, purchasing the busi- 
ness of David H. Webb. This was the 
beginning of a long and most successful 
business career, during which time Mr. 
Raymond was actively identified with 
more enterprises, perhaps, than any other 
man in his city. Soon after embarking in 
the coal business, he began shipping farm 



products by water to various points along 
the coast as far South as Jacksonville, 
Florida. While that business was profit- 
able from the beginning, it was aban- 
doned in about a year in order that Mr. 
Raymond might give more attention to 
his coal business and to the other lines of 
merchandise which he was handling in 
connection therewith, flour, feed, grain, 
and a wide range of building materials. 
His business was carried on with splendid 
success until 1919, when he sold out to 
the Norwalk Coal and Supply Company. 
During the years covering his business 
operations, Mr. Raymond was expanding, 
until at his death it was one of large pro- 
portions. A special line which he fol- 
lowed for several years with good results 
was the purchase of houses and buildings 
in an undesirable condition, and restoring 
them often in an entirely remodeled con- 
dition to most desirable residences. 

Mr. Raymond was connected with 
many successful business enterprises, and 
during his career served as president 
of the Mianus Manufacturing Company, 
treasurer of the Norwalk Manufacturing 
Company, manager of the Norwalk 
Realty and Improvement Company, treas- 
urer of the Norwalk Steamboat Com- 
pany, trustee and chairman of the execu- 
tive committee of the Norwalk Trust 
Company, director and member of the 
executive committee of the Norwalk Lock 
Company, and treasurer of the Connecti- 
cut Tidewater Coal Dealers' Association. 
Besides these personal interests, which 
would seem to consume the time and en- 
ergy of any ordinary man, Mr. Raymond 
showed more than a passive concern in 
matters affecting the public good. With 
Dr. J. G. Gregory he founded the Nor- 
walk Hospital and was a member of the 
executive committee of the board of di- 
rectors. He was one of the founders of 
the South Norwalk Library and was a 



45 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



member of its board of trustees for many 
years. He was secretary of the South 
Norvvalk Relief Association, secretary of 
the South Norwalk Improvement Society, 
president of the Norwalk Historical and 
Memorial Library Association, inspector 
to the Empire Trust Company of New 
York, trustee of the Epworth Home for 
Working Girls in New York City, and 
served as president of the Merchants' & 
Manufacturers' Association, of Norwalk. 
His public service was to his city as a 
member of the Common Council of the 
old city of South Norwalk during a period 
of five years, and as a member of the 
School Board for about twelve years, sev- 
eral of which he was chairman of the 
board. He was called into the State serv- 
ice, and for five years was auditor of the 
State of Connecticut. He was a member 
of the First Methodist Episcopal Church, 
which he served as trustee since 1875, 
acting as chairman of the board for five 
years, and was a superintendent of the 
Sunday school of the church for twenty 
years. He is affiliated with Butler Lodge, 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows; his 
clubs, the Norwalk, South Norwalk, the 
Knob Outing, Pine Ledge, and the Nor- 
walk Country. 

Mr. Raymond married (first) Eliza- 
abeth A. Tolles, who died in 1893, leaving 
three children: 1. Martha P., wife of M. 

D. Randall, and mother of a daughter, 
Elizabeth. 2. L. May, formerly the wife 
of Charles D. Burnes, of Stamford, Con- 
necticut, and mother of two sons, Dudley 

E. and Raymond. 3. Elsie, wife of David 
Albrecht, of Stamford, Connecticut. Other 
children of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond died in 
infancy. Mr. Raymond married (second) 
Carolyn Van Cleft, daughter of the Rev. 
Asa Jessup Van Cleft, D. D., of the Wyo- 
ming Conference, at Oneonta, New York, 
and Elizabeth Gore (Wood) Van Cleft, 
who was a daughter of John B. Wood, one 



of the first settlers of Wilkes-Barre, Penn- 
sylvania. Mrs. Raymond is a descendant 
of the judges, Obidiah Gore, of Massachu- 
setts, and Christopher Gore, who was sent 
by this country to Europe as a diplomat, 
and was a friend of General Lafayette. 

Once when asked what his particular 
hobby was, Mr. Raymond replied : "Any- 
thing I undertake." On another occasion 
he said : "The poorest boy if honest and 
industrious can achieve his ambition." 
These remarks furnish the keynote to Mr. 
Raymond's success in life, a success which 
rested upon a secure foundation, upright 
character, ability to concentrate, and inde- 
fatigable industry. Although for half a 
century his working days averaged from 
fifteen to eighteen hours, in his seventy- 
third year he exhibited a physical and 
mental alertness which a man twenty- 
five years younger might envy. His friends 
were legion and he held the esteem and 
confidence of all who knew him. 

Such was the life and work of Thomas 
I. Raymond, every page of his book of 
life an open one, every act one of justice 
and right. The work of a community con- 
tinues despite the changes and vicissi- 
tudes that come to smaller groups, but 
men in all walks of life paused to mark 
with respect and honor the passing of an 
associate who had lived long and worthily 
among them, and the loss of his compan- 
ionship and counsel will long persist. 
Among the numerous resolutions passed 
by the organizations with which Mr. Ray- 
mond was identified were the following: 

Whereas, Our associate, co-worker and di- 
rector, Mr. Thomas I. Raymond, for whom we 
entertained profound feelings of regard, respect 
and affection, has been taken from us and called 
to a higher life, and, 

Whereas, We shall cherish the influence and 
example of his life through the coming years, and, 

Whereas, His going will create a deep void, 
not only in the board but in the entire commu- 
nity; now, therefore, 



46 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Be it Resolved, That in his death we have all 
experienced an irreparable loss ; that we sincerely 
value the memory of his loyal spirit and his un- 
tiring efforts to promote all enterprises which in- 
ured to the public good; that we prize the knowl- 
edge of having been so closely associated with a 
man of his courage, sound judgment, broad vis- 
ion, civic pride, and one whose standard of busi- 
ness life can well be followed by all those who 
consider honest and upright dealings the only 
foundation of enduring success in life, and, 

Be it Further Resolved, That this resolution be 
incorporated in the minutes of this meeting and 
that a copy of the same be sent to Mrs. Raymond. 

The Nor walk Realty & Improvement Co., 
William L. Young, Secretary. 

The following preamble and resolutions 
were unanimously adopted by the Board 
of the South Norwalk Trust Company at 
a regular meeting held May 13, 1920: 

Thomas I. Raymond, Esq., a lifetime resident 
of this city, died at his home on the 8th inst. Mr. 
Raymond has been identified with this company 
since its organization as stockholder, director and 
member of the executive committee, and his judg- 
ment on real estate values and general banking 
matters has been of material assistance in the com- 
pany's progress. In recognition, thereof, and of 
his sterling qualities, be it therefore 

Resolved, That we hereby express our appre- 
ciation of his identification with us, of the serv- 
ices he has rendered the company, the loss we 
have suffered through his death, and extend our 
sincere sympathy to his family in their bereave- 
ment, and 

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be 
sent to his widow. 

Richard H. Golden, Joseph R. Taylor, 
Edwin O. Keeler, David H. Miller, 
Charles E. Hoyt, Matthew Carbutt. 

The following resolutions were passed 
by the directors of The Mianus Manufac- 
turing Company : 

Whereas, It has pleased God to remove the 
burdens of this life from our President and 
friend, Mr. Thomas I. Raymond, and grant him 
a life eternal in the Heavenly Kingdom, be it 

Resolved, That we extend our sincere sympathy 
to the family who has lost husband, father and 
protector; that we mourn his loss as that of an 
intimate friend and counsellor, who endeared him- 



self to each of us through the kindness, cour- 
tesy and manly qualities exhibited by him during 
our long association with him in business life. 

Resolved, That these resolutions be signed by 
the surviving directors and forwarded to the be- 
reaved family, and that a copy of same be spread 
upon the records of this company. 

Miner D. Randall, 
Fred A. Springer, 
N. P. Bishop, 
Edwin O. Keeler, 
Joseph Brush, 
Henry J. Warren. 

At a meeting of the Governing Board of 
the Norwalk Country Club the following 
resolution was passed : 

Resolved, That in the death of Thomas I. Ray- 
mond, our vice-president and associate, this Board 
feels a sense of great loss. It will miss the ben- 
efit of his keen insight, sound judgment and in- 
terest in the welfare of this Club. 

The Secretary is instructed to spread this res- 
olution on the Minutes of the Club and send a 
copy to Mrs. Raymond. 

Seymour Curtis, 
Secretary. 

At a meeting of the directors of the 
Norwalk Manufacturing Company the 
following resolutions were adopted : 

IN MEMORIAM. 

Inasmuch, As it has pleased the Almighty God 
to summon home that good man and faithful 
Christian, Thomas I. Raymond, 

Whereas, His high business ideals, his judg- 
ment in deciding matters of importance, his cour- 
age in helping to develop The Norwalk Mfg. Co., 
and his ever readiness to do all he could for the 
Company, are a cherished memory, and an ever- 
lasting inspiration to the directors of The Nor- 
walk Mfg. Co. 

Whereas, During our association with him as 
treasurer of The Norwalk Mfg. Co., he implanted 
in the organization the principles of dealing justly 
to all with whom we do business, and whereas 
this principle of his life stands to-day a memorial 
of the work to which he devoted his energy and 
his manhood, be it 

Resolved, That the directors of The Norwalk 
Mfg. Co. do hereby express our loving regard for 
the memory of Thomas I. Raymond, and our sor- 
row at his illness and death. 



47 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



That this action be placed upon the minutes of 
the Company, and that a copy be sent to his be- 
reaved family. 

Charles E. Dunneback, 
Secretary. 

At a regular monthly meeting of the 
board of directors of the Norwalk Lock 
Company, held on May 12, 1920, the fol- 
lowing resolutions were unanimously 
adopted : 

Resolved, That in the removal by death of Mr. 
Raymond, who has been associated with this com- 
pany as director since 1904, we have lost a wise 
counsellor and loyal friend, and one who always 
manifested a deep interest in its affairs. 

Resolved, That these resolutions be incorpor- 
ated in the minutes of this meeting, and the Sec- 
retary be directed to send the family of Mr. Ray- 
mond a copy thereof. George R. Barnum, 

Secretary. 

At a meeting of the Official Board of 
the South Norwalk Methodist Episcopal 
Church, held May 18, 1920, the following 
resolutions were drawn and adopted : 

Resolved, That it is with great sorrow that we 
are called upon to record the death of such a val- 
uable member of our Official Board as Brother 
Thomas I. Raymond. Few men have attained 
the record that Brother Raymond has for more 
than fifty years. He was ever ready to bear the 
burdens of the positions he held. For many years 
he was Superintendent of our Sunday School; 
served long and faithfully as a Trustee of the 
Church and on most of the Church's important 
Committees. With wisdom and steadfastness of 
purpose he was always ready to bear his full share 
of responsibility. His devotion to the South Nor- 
walk Methodist Episcopal Church was very sin- 
cere and very marked in his daily life and char- 
acter, and his death causes a great loss to our 
Church. We wish to convey to the family of our 
deceased brother our deep feeling of sadness 
and sympathy in this hour of their bereavement — 
and be it further 

Resolved, That the foregoing resolution .be en- 
tered upon the records of the Church, and a copy 
of the same transmitted to the family of our de- 
ceased brother. 

Charles F. Tristram, 
Charles E. Hoyt, 
John L. Allen, 

Committee. 



TOWNE, Henry Robinson, 

Engineer, Manufacturer. 

In the history of Connecticut indus- 
tries, the name of Henry R. Towne will 
ever hold a foremost place. Locating his 
plant in Stamford long before that place 
became a city and manufacturing center, 
he did more perhaps than any other man 
of his time to give the town a world-wide 
reputation. During iTis residence there 
Mr. Towne was a leader in all movements 
to improve the material, moral and spir- 
itual phases of the city's life. He has 
proven himself a worthy scion of one of 
New England's pioneer families, and by 
his own achievements has added fresh 
luster to an honored family name. 

Towne is one of the oldest of English 
surnames. The most common derivation 
of family names is from places of resi- 
dence. This is well illustrated by the 
name of William de la Towne, who in the 
year 1274 was a resident of the village of 
Alvely in Shropshire. In course of time 
the preposition and article were dropped, 
and the name, used in a descriptive way 
at first, became finally a patronymic. A 
town originally signified a collection of 
houses inclosed by a hedge, palisade or 
wall for safety. 

(I) William Towne, the founder of the 
family in America, was born (according 
to a family record that has been pre- 
served) in 1600, and came to America 
from Bristol, England, in 1630. His age 
is further attested by his testimony in a 
case tried in the Salem Court in 1660 that 
he was three-score years old. On March 
25, 1620, he married Joanna Blessing, in 
the Church of St. Nicholas, in the town 
of Yarmouth, England, and their first six 
children were baptized there. He is first 
found on record in Salem, Massachusetts, 
in connection with a grant of land in 1640. 
He was referred to as "Goodman" Towne 



48 







Jfi^^^y <f\ . J^trv*sv\Aj \ 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



in a court judgment given in his favor 
the same year. In 1651 he purchased land 
and a house in Topsfield, Massachusetts, 
and the following year sold his property 
in Salem and bought more land in Tops- 
field. There he died in 1672, his widow 
surviving him until 1682. 

(II) Edmund Towne, son of William 
Towne, was baptized June 28, 1628, in 
the Church of St. Nicholas. He was a 
member of a committee from the town of 
Topsfield, who during King Philip's War 
petitioned the General Court to form mil- 
itary companies to protect the inhabit- 
ants from the Indians while at work. His 
estate was inventoried, May 3, 1678. His 
widow's will was proved, December 16, 
1717, and in it she said she was very aged. 

(III) Joseph Towne, son of Edmund 
Towne, was born in Topsfield, Massachu- 
setts, September 2, 1661. On August 10, 
1687, ne married Eamy (sometimes Ru- 
hama) Smith, born August 16, 1668, and 
died February 22, 1756, daughter of Rob- 
ert Smith. 

(IV) Nathan Towne, son of Joseph 
and Eamy (Smith) Towne, was born in 
1693. He married Phoebe Curtis and re- 
sided for a time in Boxford, Massachu- 
setts, from whence he removed to An- 
dover. There his wife died January 5, 
1762, and he survived her but a short 
time. 

(V) Nathan (2) Towne, son of Na- 
than (1) and Phoebe (Curtis) Towne, 
was born April 25, 1720. He married 
Mary Poole, in Boxford, Massachusetts, 
and died in Andover. 

(VI) Benjamin Towne, son of Nathan 
(2) and Mary (Poole) Towne, was born 
February 28, 1747. He married (first) 
Mehitable Chandler, born August 9, 1744, 
and died January 23, 1788, daughter of 
Josiah and Sarah (Parker) Chandler. She 
was of the sixth generation in descent 
from William Chandler, who with his wife 

Conn-5— 4 



Annis and four children settled in Rox- 
bury, Massachusetts, in 1637. Benjamin 
Towne died in Methuen, Massachusetts, 
in 1825. 

(VII) John Towne, son of Benjamin 
and Mehitable (Chandler) Towne, was 
born April 3, 1787. Thus far the family 
had been small farmers and millers, but 
he departed from the vocation of his an- 
cestors. In many ways John Towne was 
a remarkable man. He had great energy 
and perseverance combined with rare in- 
genuity, refined tastes and a brilliant in- 
tellect. He left home early to seek a 
fortune and he succeeded. He became a 
teacher of penmanship, following that 
profession in various places. In Balti- 
more, Maryland, he met Henry Robinson, 
an Englishman whose sister he married. 
These men formed a partnership and 
continued in business together for a few 
years. Mr. Towne later withdrew from 
the firm and went to Pittsburgh, Penn- 
sylvania. There he bought land, built a 
large house and started a large fruit farm. 
Soon after he also embarked in the trans- 
portation business, owning several river 
steamboats which plied between Pitts- 
burgh and New Orleans. At the same 
time he engaged in the sugar and cotton 
commission business. During his activi- 
ties in these ventures, his wife superin- 
tended the cultivation of the farm. In 
1833 his brother-in-law. Henry Robinson, 
who was then owner of the gas works in 
Boston, Massachusetts, offered Mr. Towne 
the position of superintendent. Accepting 
the offer, he removed to that city and re- 
sided there until 1840. Having accumu- 
lated considerable wealth, he retired from 
business and became a resident of Phil- 
adelphia, Pennsylvania. Nine years later 
he purchased a beautiful home near that 
city, where he died July 24, 185 1. In his 
later years he was able to indulge his love 
of art by purchasing many fine paintings, 



49 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



largely the work of well known American 
artists, many of whom were numbered 
among his personal friends. He married 
Sarah Robinson, a native of Coventry, 
England. 

(VIII) John Henry Towne, son of John 
and Sarah (Robinson) Towne, was born 
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February 
20, 1818. He was educated in Boston, 
Massachusetts, and early evinced great 
natural talent for mechanics. When yet 
a young man, he formed a partnership 
with S. V. Merrick (later the first presi- 
dent of the Pennsylvania Railroad), and 
under the firm name of Merrick & Towne 
they established in Philadelphia what be- 
came in its day one of the largest and 
best known engineering plants in the 
country. The business is still carried on 
under the name of the Southwark Foun- 
dry. Among the notable work done by 
that firm was the building of the engines, 
designed by Captain John Ericcson, for 
the United States steamship, "Prince- 
ton," which was the first war vessel to be 
equipped with a screw propeller. In 1848 
Mr. Towne withdrew from the firm and 
engaged in business as a consulting engi- 
neer. He built gas works in New Bed- 
ford, Massachusetts, and Savannah, Geor- 
gia. He also became active in the man- 
agement of the Philadelphia & Reading 
Railroad. He helped to organize and 
build the North Pennsylvania Railroad, of 
which he became vice-president. In 1861 
he formed a partnership with I. P. Morris 
under the firm name of I. P. Morris, 
Towne & Company, which owned ana 
operated the Port Richmond Iron Works. 
Later that plant became part of the pres- 
ent Cramp shipyards. During the Civil 
War the firm built the engines for many 
large war vessels and monitors. Like his 
father, he was a great lover of nature, 
music and art. He left a large bequest to 
the University of Pennsylvania for its 



scientific department, which thereupon 
was named the "Towne Scientific School" 
in his honor. His death occurred April 
7, 1875. 

Mr. Towne married Maria Rebecca 
Tevis, born May 30, 1822, daughter of 
Joshua and Rebecca Risteau (Carman) 
Tevis. Joshua Tevis was a prominent 
Philadelphia merchant. Rebecca Risteau 
Carman was born in 1784, daughter of 
Robert North Carman, who was born in 
1756. He was a grandson of Captain 
Robert and Katherine (Risteau) North. 
The latter was born in 1708, and was a 
granddaughter of John Risteau, a Hu- 
guenot refugee who settled in Baltimore, 
Maryland, where he becamft high sheriff. 
John Henry and Maria Rebecca (Tevis) 
Towne became the parents of two sons, 
one of whom died in infancy, and the 
other, Henry Robinson Towne, is the 
subject of this sketch, and of two daugh- 
ters. 

(IX) Henry Robinson Towne, son of 
John Henry and Maria Rebecca (Tevis) 
Towne, was born in Philadelphia, Penn- 
sylvania, August 28, 1844. He was pre- 
pared for college at private schools, and 
matriculated at the University of Penn- 
sylvania, which later conferred on him 
the degree of Master of Arts. At the close 
of the college year in 1862, Mr. Towne 
went into the drafting-room of the Port 
Richmond Iron Works. There the me- 
chanical bent of his mind soon became 
apparent, and after less than two years 
at the drafting table he was placed in 
charge of government work in the shops 
engaged in repairing the gunboat "Mas- 
sachusetts." That was in 1863. The fol- 
lowing year, Mr. Towne, though only 
about twenty years of age, was sent to 
the navy yard in Charlestown, Massa- 
chusetts, to assemble and erect the en- 
gines which the Port Richmond Iron 
Works had built for the monitor "Mon- 



50 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



adnock." From there he went to the 
navy yard in Portsmouth, New Hamp- 
shire, to superintend the erecting and 
testing of the machinery of the monitor 
"Agamenticus" (whose name was later 
changed to "Terror"), and from there he 
was sent to the Philadelphia navy yard 
to do similar work in connection with the 
cruiser "Pushmataha." These were great 
responsibilities for one so young, but they 
served to develop his mechanical and ex- 
ecutive abilities. Mr. Towne was only 
twenty-one when, as acting superintend- 
ent, he was placed in general charge of 
the shops of the Port Richmond Iron 
Works. All this practical experience 
emphasized to Mr. Towne's mind the fun- 
damental necessity of a thorough train- 
ing in engineering science, a department 
of learning that "had not in those days 
received anything like the attention now 
given to it. Accordingly, soon after peace 
was declared, Mr. Towne resumed the 
study of engineering under the tuition of 
Robert Briggs, a noted civil engineer of 
Philadelphia, whom he accompanied later 
on an engineering trip to Great Britain, 
Belgium and France. Mr. Towne re- 
mained in Paris to pursue a special course 
in physics at the Sorbonne. Upon his 
return to the United States, Mr. Towne 
resumed his association with Mr. Briggs 
and for another year engaged in study and 
experimental work. During this time he 
carried out a series of experiments in 
connection with leather belting, the re- 
sults of which were accepted as standard 
authority for the following twenty years. 
He next entered the shops of William 
Sellers & Company, manufacturers of the 
Giffard injector, where he still further 
broadened his mechanical knowledge and 
experience. 

In July, 1868, Mr. Towne became ac- 
quainted with Linus Yale, Jr., and thus 
in an almost casual way was born a busi- 



ness that was to make the names of both 
men known the world over, and to be- 
come one of Connecticut's principal in- 
dustries, contributing greatly to the mate- 
rial up-building of the State. Mr. Yale 
was a talented and ingenious inventor, 
who had originated many designs for 
locks that were a radical departure from 
any then in use. He was conducting his 
business in Shelburne Falls, Massachu- 
setts, where about thirty-five men were 
employed. At that time the principal 
product was bank locks. Mr. Towne fore- 
saw the wonderful possibilities in Mr. 
Yale's invention of the "cylinder" lock, 
and suggested a partnership, in which he 
should assume charge of the manufac- 
turing end of the business, thus leaving 
Mr. Yale free to do further experimental 
work and inventing. Accordingly, The 
Yale & Towne Manufacturing Company 
was organized, in October, 1868, with Mr. 
Yale as president, and the business was 
removed to Stamford, Connecticut. This 
association, which in a brief time had de- 
veloped into a warm friendship, was sud- 
denly brought to an end by the untimely 
death of Linus Yale, Jr., December 25, 
1868. He was succeeded in the presi- 
dency by Mr. Towne. Trained as an en- 
gineer, endowed with a natural aptitude 
for organization, and for executive man- 
agement, broad of vision, ambitious, with 
a determination that brooked no obstacle, 
and blessed with splendid mental and 
physical poise, Mr. Towne assumed a task 
before which most men would quail. His 
natural mechanical instinct, backed by his 
technical and practical training, led him 
to plan and build for the large and per- 
manent future which he saw was possible 
to the business, and to lay a broad and 
deep foundation of scientific manufactur- 
ing methods. 

For the following ten years, Mr. Towne 
devoted himself with indefatigable indus- 



51 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



try to broadening the company's line of 
products, to the design of machine tools 
especially adapted to manufacture the 
unique Yale lock, to working out the most 
efficient and effective factory methods 
and processes, to a wider application of 
the principles introduced by Mr. Yale, 
and to make improvements in the design 
and mechanical excellence of the com- 
pany's product. Besides doing all this, 
the management of the executive and 
selling departments in the early days of 
the business devolved upon Mr. Towne. 
With him there was never any question 
of policy — there was only one path to 
pursue, namely, to make every product 
mechanically right for its intended use, 
and to sell it at a price which permitted 
of the maintenance of this quality. The 
path thus chosen led to open and square 
dealing without variation, regardless of 
all exigencies. The business prospered. 
Beginning in 1868 with about thirty-five 
employees and a plant that, including 
brass foundry and power-house, com- 
prised only fifteen thousand feet of floor 
space, the plant has grown until it now 
occupies an area of twenty-four acres, 
with about five acres of ground in re- 
serve to meet the requirements of future 
development. The combined floor areas 
of buildings in 1918 exceeded twenty-five 
acres. The value of the plant and equip- 
ment is indicated by the amount of in- 
surance carried, $6,000,000, which also 
covers materials on hand, the total in- 
vested capital exceeding $15,000,000. The 
number of employees is normally about 
4,000, and during the War years, 1917-19, 
exceeded 6,500. Their welfare is looked 
after by a department known as the 
Industrial Relations Department, which 
neglects no detail that will promote their 
safety, sanitation, health and comfort. 

Mr. Towne was one of the pioneer man- 
ufacturers of the country in thus looking 



after the welfare of employees, his efforts 
along this line beginning in 1869, when 
the first plant was completed. In 1911-12, 
a subsidiary company was organized in 
Canada to manufacture Yale products for 
that market. That plant, though of 
course very much smaller than the one 
in Stamford, was built and is operated 
along the same lines. Fifty years ago the 
organization of a manufacturing plant 
was of the simplest and most elementary 
character, but in this direction, as in ev- 
erything else, Mr. Towne's ideas kept 
pace with the development of the busi- 
ness and of the times, and it is safe to say 
that no industrial enterprise in this coun- 
try is more thoroughly and efficiently or- 
ganized. Mr. Towne is a splendid judge 
of men, and as the needs of the business 
grew he selected men with the requisite 
knowledge and natural qualifications for 
the positions to be filled. It is said that 
The Yale & Towne Manufacturing Com- 
pany is the largest producer in the world 
of locks, bank locks, night latches, fine 
padlocks, and chain-blocks, and one of 
the largest producers of builders hard- 
ware, door-closers, electric hoists, and 
electric industrial trucks. The items in 
its catalogs number 45,000. 

Mr. Towne became a member of the 
American Society of Mechanical Engi- 
neers when that organization was yet 
young, and for many years participated 
enthusiastically in its proceedings. He 
was elected president of the Society in 
1888, and the following year was chosen 
chairman of the large delegation from 
the three great engineering societies who 
went to Europe as the guests of the In- 
stitution of Civil Engineers of Great Brit- 
ain and of the Societe des Ingenieurs Civ- 
ils of France. Mr. Towne, while not a 
voluminous writer, is the author of a 
number of papers which won wide recog- 
nition as valuable contributions to tech- 



52 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



nical literature. Perhaps the most nota- 
ble was a paper read before the American 
Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1886 
entitled "The Engineer as an Economist." 
It has been said that this was the first 
published article advocating the recogni- 
tion of works management as a modern 
science. In 1921 he was elected an hon- 
orary member of the Society. 

In 1892 Mr. Towne changed his resi- 
dence from Stamford to New York City, 
and despite the exacting demands of his 
own business he found time to render 
valued service as an early and active 
member of the Merchant's Association 
of that city, serving as its president from 
1907 to 1913, and is still a member of its 
board of directors. He was active in pro- 
moting the organization of the Chamber 
of Commerce of the United States of 
America, and of the National Tariff Com- 
mission Association, and served as treas- 
urer of the latter until it was disbanded. 
He also participated in the early activities 
of the League for Industrial Rights, and 
the National Industrial Conference Board. 
In 1919 the degree of Doctor of Commer- 
cial Science was conferred on him by 
New York University. 

While a resident of Stamford, Connec- 
ticut, especially in the years between 1880 
and 1890, Mr. Towne interested himself 
in movements for the improvement of the 
town. Stamford's most pressing need at 
that time was a system of sewerage. Mr. 
Towne was the most active advocate of 
this, and led numerous debates in its 
favor at public meetings. He was instru- 
mental in securing the employment, by 
the then borough, of his friend, Colonel 
George E. Waring, a celebrated sanitary 
engineer, who designed the system of 
sanitary sewerage that was later installed. 
Mr. Towne was a pioneer in the move- 
ment for good roads. In addresses and 
in articles published over his signature, he 



advocated a more progressive policy and 
the result was the construction of a num- 
ber of macadamized streets, the real be- 
ginning of better roads in Stamford. He 
caused a plan to be drawn for a parkway 
along the Rippowan river. This met with 
opposition and defeat, but in later years it 
was recognized that had Mr. Towne's 
suggestion been carried out, which could 
easily have been done at that time, Stam- 
ford would have a beauty spot through 
the center of the town that would make 
it unique. One of the earliest undertak- 
ings of Mr. Towne for the benefit of his 
employees was the establishment of a 
library, which was housed in two rooms 
of a building on Main street. This was 
supplied with works on scientific sub- 
jects, fiction and current magazines. It 
was used not only by his factory em- 
ployees but by the public, and was really 
the beginning of Stamford's splendid free 
library. It was also the beginning of the 
Yale & Towne welfare work already al- 
luded to in this sketch. 

On March 12, 1868, Mr. Towne mar- 
ried Cora E. White, daughter of John 
Parker and Eliza Canfield (Tallmadge) 
White. John P. White was a descendant 
of Hon. David Hall, first governor of Del- 
aware. Hon. Frederick Augustus Tall- 
madge, father of Eliza Canfield Tall- 
madge, was at one time recorder of the 
City of New York. He married Eliza H. 
Canfield, daughter of Judson and Mabel 
(Ruggles) Canfield. Frederick A. Tall- 
madge was the son of Colonel Benjamin 
Tallmadge, aide-de-camp of General 
Washington in the Revolution. He mar- 
ried Mary Floyd, daughter of General 
William Floyd, one of the signers of the 
Declaration of Independence. Henry 
Robinson and Cora E. (White) Towne 
were the parents of John Henry Towne, 
still living, and of Frederick Tallmadge 
Towne, who was born March 5, 1872, and 
who died February 4, 1906. 



53 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



MIX, Elisha (3rd), 

Head of Important Business. 

A man is a quotation from all his an- 
cestors. No book printed in the nine- 
teenth century did so much perhaps to 
spur young people to worthy endeavor as 
"Self Help," by Samuel Smiles, a collec- 
tion of brief biographies detailing the 
struggles of men who by their own un- 
aided efforts worked their way from hum- 
ble beginnings to commanding positions 
in every field of human achievement. Such 
stories still interest and instruct us, but 
the objection is often heard that the 
days of opportunity are past. It is, there- 
fore, important to place before the youth 
of our time the histories of successful men 
now living; and the career of Elisha Mix, 
lock manufacturer of Stamford, furnishes 
such a story. It will be an inspiration to 
the young. It will stimulate ambition. It 
will conduce to honesty, energy and per- 
severance. It will inculcate humanitar- 
ianism in the management of employes, 
efficiency and system in upbuilding a 
business. 

The Mix family is among the oldest in 
New England, and Elisha Mix, of this 
review, who will appear in greater detail 
below, carries in his veins also the blood 
of other Colonial families, among them, 
Turner, Goodwin, Webster, Steele, Gov- 
ernor William Bradford and others. It 
was the lofty ideals and sturdy patriot- 
ism of such families that gave color and 
form to New England society and insti- 
tutions, which in turn exerted such a vir- 
ile and beneficent influence in shaping the 
real character of America as a nation. 
To possess such a heritage carries with it 
responsibility. Elisha Mix in his char- 
acter and activities maintains the unsul- 
lied reputation of his ancestors, and like 
them he has always stood ready to meet 
every responsibility that is connected by 



the term, good citizen. The spellings of 
the name of Mix have been many and va- 
ried. In the early records it is most com- 
monly spelled Meekes. 

(I) Thomas Meekes, the ancestor of 
the family, believed to have been born in 
London, England, died in 1691, and is 
buried near the old green in the New 
Haven Church Burying Ground. In 1643 
he was a resident of New Haven, Connec- 
ticut. He married, six years later, Re- 
becca Turner, daughter of Captain Na- 
thaniel Turner, who came with Governor 
Winthrop. 

(II) John Mix, eldest son of Thomas 
and Rebecca (Turner) Meekes, was born 
in 1649, and died January 21, 1711-12. He 
removed to Wallingford, Connecticut, in 
1670, and was the first of the name there. 
He married, before 1676, Elizabeth Hea- 
ton, born in 1650, died August 21, 171 1. 

(III) John (2) Mix, eldest son of John 
(1) and Elizabeth (Heaton) Mix, was born 
August 25, 1676. He married (first) No- 
vember 25, 1702, Sarah Thompson, born 
January 16, 1671, died November 21, 
171 1. He married (second), November 
12, 1712, Mrs. Elizabeth Booth, who died 
in May, 1716. He married (third), Feb- 
ruary 14, 1717, Esther Peck. 

(IV) Ebenezer Mix, son of John (2) 
and Elizabeth (Booth) Mix, was born in 
1715-16, and died in West Hartford, Con- 
necticut, August 4, 1766. He was a large 
land owner, and an active member of the 
Congregational church. He married Anna 
Goodwin, born in 1725, died in 1817, 
daughter of Isaac Goodwin (see Good- 
win V). Ebenezer and Anna (Goodwin) 
Mix were the parents of John and Elisha 
Mix, both prominent men. The former. 
John Mix, was secretary of the Order of 
the Cincinnati, and with him were de- 
posited the charter and funds of the So- 
ciety when it was disbanded in 1804. He 
was an ensign and lieutenant in the Rev- 



54 



II 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



olution. The second son was Elisha, of 
whom further. 

(V) Elisha Mix, son of Ebenezer and 
Anna (Goodwin) Mix, was born July i, 
1764, and died June 12, 1818. He was a 
corporal in the Revolutionary War, and a 
pensioner in 1818, the year he died. His 
widow received a pension until her death. 
Elisha Mix served in Captain Catlin's 
company, Fifth Regiment of the Connec- 
ticut Line, May 26, 1777, for eight months ; 
enlisted from Goshen, as corporal, Au- 
gust 14, 1777, for the war, in the Seventh 
Regiment of the Connecticut Line; "en- 
listed in Captain Baldwin's Company, 
January 1, 1781, paid to December 31, 
1781." He also served as a corporal in 
Captain Bissell's company, "arrived in 
camp, June 23, 1778." Elisha Mix mar- 
ried Anna Webster, born in 1759, died 
January 27, 1842, daughter of Isaac Web- 
ster (see Webster V). 

(VI) James Mix, son of Elisha and 
Anna (Webster) Mix, was born July 10, 
1793. He was corporal in the War of 
1812. He settled in Goshen, Connecti- 
cut. At one time he conducted a grocery 
store in Hartford, and he died in Terry- 
ville, Connecticut, in 1859. He married, 
December 8, 18 14, Lucy Steele, born De- 
cember 8, 1793, daughter of Allyn Steele 
(see Steele VII). 

(VII) General Elisha (2) Mix, son of 
James and Lucy (Steele) Mix, was born 
November 17, 1818, in Watertown, Con- 
necticut, and died October 8, 1898 He 
married, July 10, 1843, Amelia Edmonds, 
a native of Trowbridge, England, where 
she was born April 2, 1827. She died in 
November, 1916. General Elisha Mix was 
reared in Hartford, where his father re- 
moved while he was yet a small lad, and 
entered the grocery business. The boy, 
Elisha, attended the common school, and 
later learned the trades of tool and clock 
making. When he was about eighteen 



years old, he ran away and went to sea ; 
he continued along this line for about 
two years, and finally reached Florida, 
during the progress of the Seminole War, 
in which he took part. After that he re- 
turned to Connecticut and settled in 
Terryville, remaining for a time, going 
thence to New Haven, where he was one 
of the organizers of the New Haven Clock 
Company. After a few years he left the 
Clock Company, though still retaining 
his financial interest in it, and went to 
Michigan where he engaged in the lum- 
bering business for a year or two. He 
then returned to New Haven, Connecti- 
cut, and spent three or four years with 
the Clock Company. About 1854 he sold 
his interest in that enterprise and went 
West, locating in Allegan, Michigan, 
where he engaged in the lumbering busi- 
ness until 1862, in which year he raised 
a company for the Eighth Michigan Cav- 
alry and served three years. He went out 
as captain of his company and was pro- 
moted successively to major, lieutenant- 
colonel and colonel. On March 19, 1865, 
he was brevetted brigadier-general. In 
the Stoneman raid, General Mix was 
taken prisoner and confined in Macon, 
Georgia, for a short time. From there 
he was sent to Charleston, South Can> 
lina, where he remained about two and 
one-half months, when he was exchanged. 
General Mix served in fifty-two engage- 
ments, a remarkable record. 

After the war, General Mix purchased 
a retail hardware store in Allegan, which 
he conducted for about three years. Then 
he removed to Fennville, Michigan, where 
he operated a saw mill for Emerson & 
Talcott for two years. In 1868-69, he 
bought a machine shop in Allegan and 
engaged in building saw mills and sta- 
tionary engines, and doing repair work 
on them, until 1870, when he removed 
to Wyandotte and took charge of the 



55 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Wyandotte Agricultural Works, manufac- 
turers of mowers, plows, cultivators and 
so forth. He was there about two years 
and then returned to Allegan. In the 
latter place, General Mix organized a 
company to manufacture freight cars. A 
factory was built and the machinery had 
been installed when the panic of 1873 
compelled the abandonment of the enter- 
prise. On May 3, 1873, General Mix re- 
turned to Connecticut and entered the 
employ of the Eagle Lock Company as 
a toolmaker. In October, 1875, he organ- 
ized the Bridgeport Lock Company and 
removed to Bridgeport. He was secre- 
tary of the company, which was success- 
ful from the beginning and promised such 
competition in the lock business that the 
Eagle Lock Company purchased the busi- 
ness and removed it to Terryville. Gen- 
eral Mix went there as superintendent of 
the tool department and remained there 
until 1880, when he went to Clarion 
county, Pennsylvania, and organized a 
lumber company under the name of the 
Bagaley Mills Company. Later he es- 
tablished another mill in Elk county for 
the same company. That was in the 
spring of 1882, and as there were coal 
mines on the property where the com- 
pany proposed to work, a new corporation 
was formed under the name of the Ar- 
thur Coal & Lumber Company. Gen- 
eral Mix remained there until the spring 
of 1884, and in that year retired from ac- 
tive business, returning to Allegan, Mich- 
igan, where he resided until his death in 
1898. During his last residence there he 
was for several years superintendent of 
the Allegan County Poor. 

In political faith a Republican, he was 
active in the support of the party. Hr 
was a delegate to the convention in Jack- 
son, Michigan, at which the Republican 
party was organized, but never desired 
public office. General Mix was a member 



of C. J. Bassett Post, Grand Army of the 
Republic, of Allegan, which he served 
several times as commander, and he was 
made a Free Mason in Mt. Clements, 
Michigan, while in camp there at the be- 
ginning of the war. A Sons of Veterans 
camp was also organized in Allegan, and 
they chose the name of General Elisha 
Mix Camp in honor of their fellow-citizen. 

General Mix and his wife, Amelia (Ed- 
monds) Mix, were the parents of the fol- 
lowing children: Rosina, wife of Harold 
C. Weeks ; she died January 10, 1919. in 
Allegan ; Elisha, of further mention ; Har- 
riet Elizabeth, died in infancy. The fam- 
ily were members of the Congregational 
church. 

General Elisha Mix was a typical, rest- 
less, energetic, aggressive and progres- 
sive New Englander. He knew not the 
word discouragement. The failure of one 
undertaking only spurred him to greater 
and more determined effort. A highly 
skilled mechanic of the time when men 
learned trades thoroughly, he was also 
the fortunate possessor of splendid execu- 
tive ability. He understood human na- 
ture and knew how to win the confidence 
of men and manage them. Every inch a 
patriot, he served his country on the field 
of battle, and in the less strenuous days 
of peace he measured up to the responsi- 
bilities of citizenship. He was highly es- 
teemed by all who had an opportunity to 
recognize his sturdy, upright character. 

(VIII) Elisha (3) Mix, only son of 
General Elisha (2) and Amelia (Ed- 
monds) Mix, was born January 14, 1850, 
in New Haven, Connecticut. He was 
educated in the grammar and high school 
of Allegan, Michigan, and at an early age 
began to learn the trade of machinist, 
under the instruction of his father. He 
came to Connecticut, May 3, 1873, and 
entered the employ of the Eagle Lock 
Company as a toolmaker, in which ca- 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



pacity he served for one year, when he 
was promoted to superintendent of the 
mail lock department, which position he 
held until the Bridgeport Lock Company 
was formed in November, 1874. He re- 
mained with this company until it was 
consolidated with the Eagle Lock Com- 
pany in 1877. He then returned to Terry- 
ville and engaged with the old company 
as toolmaker until the summer of 1880, 
when he went with his father to Penn- 
sylvania to engage in the lumber busi- 
ness. He left Arthur's Coal & Lumber 
Company in November, 1883, and then 
took a position with the Corbin Cabinet 
Lock Company, where he remained until 
October, 1891, when he came to Stamford, 
Connecticut, and took a similar position 
with the Yale & Towne Manufacturing 
Company, which position he held until 
June 30, 1898, in which month he organ- 
ized The Excelsior Hardware Company, 
of which he has since been president. The 
produce of the company is trunk and cab- 
inet locks, which are sold direct to trunk 
manufacturers and makers of cabinet 
work. 

The business has grown from the small- 
est of beginnings until about eighty-five 
people are employed on an average and 
about ten thousand dozen locks are pro- 
duced a month. The story of the growth 
of this enterprise is both entertaining and 
instructive. Mr. Mix's achievements dem- 
onstrate that it is still possible for a man 
with the requisite knowledge of his busi- 
ness and the right personal qualities to 
enter a field of business apparently al- 
ready preempted and win for himself a 
substantial success. From what we have 
seen of his father's career, we have a 
right to infer that Mr. Mix inherited his 
great courage, determination and initia- 
tive. Like his father, he is thorough 
master of every detail of his trade and a 
highly skilled artisan. With this equip- 



ment and a capital which was, apparently, 
wholly inadequate, he embarked in this 
enterprise, full of hope, but not unmind- 
ful of the keen competition which he 
knew he should encounter as soon as 
other lock manufacturers discovered his 
product on the market. Accordingly, he 
planned wisely for all contingencies. He 
made a thousand dozen of a certain type 
of lock, which he had no difficulty in 
marketing. He was not in the least sur- 
prised when other manufacturers cut the 
price on that type of lock to a ruinous 
figure. However, he had sold his first 
thousand dozen and now, with the strat- 
egy he had already planned, he made a 
large stock of a different type, and this 
also met with the ruthless price cutting 
competition, and so it went, Mr. Mix 
gradually strengthening his standing with 
the trade and adding to his capital and 
equipment until his position among lock 
manufacturers was assured. In 1918 a 
new and modern brick factory building of 
two stories, one hundred feet by fifty feet, 
was erected, well lighted and equipped 
with every convenience for the comfort 
and well being of his employes. A trip 
with him through the plant illumines the 
character of the president, for it is ap- 
parent that the workers are accustomed 
to his visits and to receive a pleasant 
word of kindly interest that does more 
to promote their loyalty than can easily 
be estimated. In such an atmosphere it 
would be hard to propagate discontent. 
Mr. Mix takes an active interest in the 
welfare of his adopted city, and can be 
depended upon to do his share in its de- 
velopment toward an ideal community. 
He is an ex-president of the Chamber of 
Commerce, and a member of the Order 
of United American Mechanics, of which 
he is also past councilor; he is past mas- 
ter of Ponus Lodge, Ancient Order of 
United Workmen. 



57 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Mr. Mix married (first) Frances A. 
Williams, who has nearly all her life been 
known as "Fannie." She was born in 
Terry ville, Connecticut, March 4, 185 1, 
a daughter of Cornelius R. and Caroline 
(Hooker) Williams, the latter named a 
daughter of Ira Hooker. The children of 
Mr. and Mrs. Mix are: 1. Moseley W., 
now vice-president of The Excelsior 
Hardware Company; he married Nellie 
N. Layle, and has one son, Earle Lin- 
wood. 2. Lora A., resides at home ; a re- 
tired school teacher. 3. Ralph Hooker, 
married Ina Thresher, and has a daughter, 
Frances Bradford, and a son, Ralph 
Thresher ; they reside in Springdale, 
Stamford, Connecticut. 4. James Ed- 
monds, secretary and treasurer of The 
Excelsior Hardware Company ; he mar- 
ried Grace Morro and they have two 
daughters, Marjory and Elizabeth Ann. 
5. Clarence Elisha, assistant secretary 
and assistant treasurer of The Excelsior 
Hardware Company. He served eleven 
months in France, until April 4, 1919, in 
the Medical Corps of the 107th Infantry, 
27th Division, and was in the engagement 
at the breaking of the Hindenburg Line. 
Clarence E. Mix has a citation for brav- 
ery under fire in the Hindenburg line and 
other engagements in the World War. 
The mother of these children died July 23, 
1916. Mr. Mix married (second), March 
12, 1919, Mrs. Mary M. Forbes, of Plain- 
well, Michigan. The family attend and 
are active in the support of the Congre- 
gational church, of which Mr. Mix has 
served several terms as deacon. 

(The Goodwin Line). 

(I) Ozias Goodwin, the ancestor of 
this branch of the family, was born in 
1596, and died in 1683. It is not known 
just when he came to New England, but 
he was a resident of Hartford, Connec- 
ticut, in 1639. He was one of those who 



agreed to remove to Hatfield, although 
he did not go himself. He married Mary 
Woodward, daughter of Robert Wood- 
ward, of Braintree, Massachusetts. 

(II) William Goodwin, son of Ozias 
and Mary (Woodward) Goodwin, was 
born about 1629, and died October 15, 
1689. He was made freeman, May 21, 
1657, and in 1662 served as chimney 
viewer. 

(III) Nathaniel Goodwin, son of Wil- 
liam Goodwin, was a shoemaker by trade. 
He was a deacon of the First Church of 
Hartford in March, 1734. He held this 
office until his death, in November, 1747. 
He married Mehetable Porter, born Sep- 
tember 15, 1673, daughter of Samuel and 
Hannah (Stanley) Porter, and she died 
February 6, 1726. 

(IV) Isaac Goodwin, son of Nathan- 
iel and Mehetable (Porter) Goodwin, was 
baptized November 10, 1695, and died 
August 15, 1766. He was grand juror in 
1741, and selectman in 1742. He married 
(first) Hannah Morgan, born Nevember 
24, 1703, daughter of Thomas and Rachel 
Morgan. 

(V) Anna Goodwin, daughter of Isaac 
and Hannah (Morgan) Goodwin, was 
baptized May 16, 1725, and died Septem- 
ber 9, 1817. She married, in 1754, Eben- 
ezer Mix (see Mix IV). 

(The Webster Line). 

(I) Governor John Webster was from 
Norwickshire, England, and was one of 
the original settlers of Hartford and one 
of the founders of the Republic of Con- 
necticut. He held many prominent of- 
fices; in 1655 he was deputy governor 
and in 1656 was governor. His wife's 
Christian name was Agnes and they were 
the parents of four sons. 

(II) Lieutenant Robert Webster, son 
of Governor John and Agnes Webster, 
was born in 1627, and was a man of great 



58 



I 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



ability. He served his communities in 
many ways, and settled in Middletown. 
When that town was organized, he was 
made recorder, and also represented Mid- 
dletown in the General Court, 1653-55, 
1656, 1657, an d 1658. He married, in 
1652, Susannah Treat, born in 1629, 
daughter of Richard and Joanna Treat, 
of Wethersfield. 

(III) Deacon Jonathan Webster, son 
of Lieutenant Robert and Susannah 
(Treat) Webster, was born January 9, 
1656, and died in 1735. His wife became 
a member of the Second Church in Hart- 
ford, March 17, 1695, an d died the same 
year. 

(IV) Captain Stephen Webster, son of 
Deacon Jonathan Webster, was born Jan- 
uary 1, 1693, and died in 1724. He mar- 
ried, June 6, 1717, Mary Burnham, bap- 
tized December 19, 1690, daughter of 
John and Mary (Olcott) Burnham, of 
Hartford. 

(V) Isaac Webster, son of Captain 
Stephen and Mary (Burnham) Webster, 
was born in 1718, baptized June 15, of 
that year, and died September 19, 1801. 
He married, November 11, 1739, Ame 
White, who died June 23, 1807. They 
were the parents of Anna Webster, who 
became the wife of Elisha Mix (see Mix 
V). 

(The Steele Line). 

(I) John Steele, the immigrant, was 
born in Essex county, England, and died 
November 25, 1665, in Farmington, Con- 
necticut. He came to New England in 
1631, and settled in Cambridge, Massa- 
chusetts. He removed to Hartford, 
thence to Farmington. The first wife of 
John Steele was named Rachel ; she died 
in 1653 ; he married (second) Mrs. Mercy 
Seamer. 

(II) John (2) Steele, son of John (1) 
and Rachel Steele, was married in 1645 
to Mercy Warner, daughter of Andrew 



Warner. He died previous to his father, 

i653- 

(III) Samuel Steele, son of John (2) 
and Mercy (Warner) Steele, was born 
March 15, 1652, and died in 1710. He 
married, September 16, 1680, Mercy Brad- 
ford, daughter of Major William Brad- 
ford. 

(IV) Thomas Steele, son of Samuel 
and Mercy (Bradford) Steele, was born 
September 9, 1681, and died in 1757. He 
married, May 16, 1709, Susanna Webster, 
who died November 27, 1757. 

(V) Samuel (2) Steele, son of Thomas 
and Susanna (Webster) Steele, was born 
March 11, 1712, and died September 12, 
1779. He married, December 20, 1739, 
Elizabeth Merry. 

(VI) Allyn Steele, son of Samuel (2) 
and Elizabeth (Merry) Steele, was born 
July 21, 1757, and died June 17, 1802. He 
married (first) Joanna Cadwell, born Jan- 
uary 20, 1757, and died May 3, 1835. 

(VII) Lucy Steele, daughter of Allyn 
and Joanna (Cadwell) Steele, became the 
wife of James Mix (see Mix VI). 



LYNES, Samuel, 

Merchant. 

Many of the old New England names 
have undergone great modifications in 
spelling and one of these is Lynes. It is 
frequently written Lines and Lyne. Henry 
and Ralph Lines, usually supposed to 
be brothers, settled in New Haven, Con- 
necticut, about 1642. Henry Lines states 
in the birth-record of his son, Samuel, 
that he is "second sonne of John Line 
(as he saith) of Badby two miles from 
Dantry (Daventry) in Northampton- 
shire." 

(I) Ralph Lines, Sr., probably brother 
of Henry Lines, lived in that part of New 
Haven later designated the parish of Am- 
ity, and now the town of Woodbridge. 



59 



KX CYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



He died September 7, 1689, and his estate 
showed an inventory of over £242. In 
his will, dated December 4, 1687, he men- 
tions sons, Samuel, Ralph, Joseph and 
Benjamin, wife "Alis," and daughter Han- 
nah. A codicil, dated February 1, 1689, 
says that as his life has been prolonged, 
and his daughter Hannah since died, he 
leaves her portion to his wife Alice. An 
additional codicil, made during his last 
sickness, states as his son Benjamin has 
since died, but his widow being with 
child, to that child, if it lives, he bequeaths 
its father's portion. He also speaks of his 
deceased daughter Merriman. The will 
was proved November 13, 1689 (New 
Haven Probate, Vol. II, p. 17). Children: 
Samuel, Ralph, John, Joseph, Benjamin, 
of whom further ; Hannah. 

(II) Benjamin Lines, son of Ralph 
Lines, married Anna Wilmot, daughter of 
William and Sarah (Thomas) Wilmot. 
He died July 26, 1689, and soon after his 
widow married (second) Dr. Peter Car- 
rington. In 1702, Peter Carrington is 
called husband to Anna, administratrix on 
the estate of her late husband, Benjamin 
Lines, deceased (County Court Records, 
New Haven, Vol. II, p. 83). 

(III) Benjamin (2) Lines, son of Ben- 
jamin (1) and Anna (Wilmot) Lines, was 
born November 8, 1689. He was of New 
Haven. He married Esther, daughter of 
Joseph Sturgis, of Fairfield. 

(IV) Samuel Lynes, son of Benjamin 
(2) and Esther (Sturgis) Lines, was mar- 
ried, February 28, 1749, to Mercy Holly. 
Mercy Holly was born April 12, 1719. 
Her father was Elisha Holly, born No- 
vember 10, 1687, died May 14, 1752; 
he married, January 24, 1716, Rebecca 
Bishop, daughter of Stephen Bishop. 
Elisha Holly, grandfather of Mercy 
Holly, was born June 1, 1659, an d died 
October 28, 1719; he married, December 
2, 1686, Martha Holmes, and she died 



August 4, 1721. His father was John 
Holly, who was born in England about 
1618 and came to America about 1640, 
settled in Stamford, Connecticut, where 
he died May 25, 1681. His widow's name 
was Mary. 

(V) Benjamin (3) Lynes, son of Samuel 
and Mercy (Holly) Lynes, was born June 
19, 1757, in Ridgebury, Connecticut. He 
married Sarah Coley, daughter of Daniel 
and Sarah (Sanford) Coley, of Redding, 
Connecticut. 

(VI) Stephen Coley Lynes, son of Ben- 
jamin (3) and Sarah (Coley) Lynes, 
married, February 6, 1815, Hannah 
Maltby, born in Fairfield, Connecticut, 
April 7, 1769, daughter of Captain Jona- 
than and Elizabeth (Allen) Maltby. 
(See Maltby IV). 

(VII) Dr. Samuel (2) Lynes, son of 
Stephen Coley and Hannah (Maltby) 
Lynes, was born in December, 1821, and 
died in July, 1878. He attended school in 
his native town of Ridgefield, and read 
medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. 
Willard Parker, for whom the Willard 
Parker Hospital in New York is named. 
Subsequently he went to Yale Medical 
School, from which he was graduated. 
Immediately Dr. Lynes engaged in the 
practice of his profession in Norwalk, and 
for many years was the only physician in 
the town. That was at a time when the 
territory covered by a doctor was a very 
large one. The physician of that day not 
only ministered to the physical wants of 
man, he was also the friend, confidante 
and adviser of his patients. Dr. Lynes 
was beloved among those whose suffer- 
ings he eased ; he was accustomed to ride 
over the country in the old fashioned two- 
wheeled gig, and a glad welcome awaited 
him wherever he called. Dr. Lynes was 
past master of St. John's Lodge, No. 6, 
Free and Accepted Masons, and was past 
grand of Our Brothers Lodge, Independ- 



60 




&Kt*^ «^^v;^r^C 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



ent Order of Odd Fellows, both of Nor- 
walk. 

Dr. Lynes married Emily Augusta 
Sherry, daughter of Charles and Susan 
Virginia (St. John) Sherry, of New York 
City. Her parents removed to Norwalk 
shortly after her birth and located on East 
avenue ; later the property was cut up into 
building lots and what is now Morgan 
avenue passes through the property. 

Dr. Lynes and his wife were the par- 
ents of : Charles S., now deceased ; Emily 
A. ; Susan Virginia, deceased ; Samuel, of 
whom further. The family were members 
of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, of which 
Dr. Lynes was a vestryman for many 
years. 

The St. John descent is through Susan 
Virginia St. John, daughter of William 
(2) and Esther (Cannon) St. John. Wil- 
liam (2) St. John was a son of William 

(1) and Mary Esther (Belden) St. John. 
William (1) St. John was a son of Joseph 

(2) and Susannah (Selleck) St. John. 
Joseph (2) St. John was a son of Joseph 
(1) and Sarah (Betts) St. John. Joseph 

(1) St. John was a son of Mark and Eliz- 
abeth (Stanley) St. John. Mark St. John 
was a son of Matthias St. John, the Amer- 
ican founder. In the Cannon family the 
ancestry is as follows : Esther Cannon 
was a daughter of James and Rebecca 
(Gould) Cannon. James Cannon was a 
son of John (3) and Esther (Perry) Can- 
non. John (3) Cannon was a son of John 

(2) and Jerusha (Sands) Cannon. John 
(2) Cannon was a son of John (1) and 
Maria (LeGrand) Cannon. John (1) 
Cannon was a son of Andrew and Anna 
Cannon, of Staten Island, the first Can- 
non settlers. The Selleck connections are 
traced through Susannah, born Septem- 
ber 3, 1709, who married Joseph (2) St. 
John. Susannah was a daughter of Na- 
than and Susannah (Hooker) Selleck. 
Nathan Selleck was the only son of Jona- 



than (2) and Abigail (Gold) Selleck, who 
were married September 12, 1686. Jon- 
athan (2) Selleck was a son of Jonathan 
(1) and Abigail (Law) Selleck. Jon- 
athan (1) Selleck was born March 20, 
1641, son of David and Susannah Selleck. 
Susannah Hooker, who married Nathan 
Selleck, was a daughter of William 
Hooker, of Farmington, Connecticut. 
William Hooker was the third son of 
Rev. Samuel and Mary (Swazey) Hooker. 
Rev. Samuel Hooker was a son of Rev. 
Thomas Hooker, founder of Hartford. 
The Belden family figures in this record 
through the marriage of William (1) St. 
John and Mary Esther Belden. Mary 
Esther, born 1758, was a daughter of John 
(3) and Rebecca (Bartlett) Belden. John 
(3) Belden, born April 26, 1729, was a 
son of John (2) and Ruhama (Hill) Bel- 
den. John (2) Belden was a son of John 
(1) and Ruth (Hayes) Belden. John (1) 
Belden, born January 9, 1653, was a son 
of William and Thomasine (or Comma- 
cine) Belden. John (1) Belden moved to 
Norwalk, Connecticut. His father, Wil- 
liam Belden, lived in Wethersfield, Con- 
necticut, and died there about 1660. 

(VIII) Samuel (3) Lynes, son of Dr. 
Samuel (2) and Emily Augusta (Sherry) 
Lynes, was born April 13, 1865, in Nor- 
walk, Connecticut. He was educated in 
the public schools of that city. Early in 
life he entered the real estate business 
with Louise O. Coolidge, under the firm 
name of Coolidge & Lynes, and this part- 
nership successfully continued about fif- 
teen years. In 1902, Mr. Lynes formed a 
partnership with Hubert E. Bishop, under 
the firm name of Bishop & Lynes, suc- 
ceeding C. T. Leonard as proprietors of a 
coal business that was established in 1839, 
handling coal, wood and mason's supplies. 
Mr. Lynes is among the leading mer- 
chants of Norwalk, and one of the enter- 
prising citizens there. Besides his own 



61 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



business interests he is a director of the 
Fairfield County National Bank and an 
incorporator of the Fairfield County Sav- 
ings Bank. Public matters also have re- 
ceived his attention ; he served on the 
Board of Selectmen and was water com- 
missioner for the city of Norwalk. 

Fraternally, Mr. Lynes is a member 
of St. John's Lodge, No. 6, Free and 
Accepted Masons, his membership dat- 
ing back for twenty-three years ; mem- 
ber of Washington Chapter, Royal Arch 
Masons ; Clinton Commandery, Knights 
Templar; Lafayette Consistory, Sublime 
Princes of the Royal Secret ; and Pyra- 
mid Temple, Ancient Arabic Order No- 
bles of the Mystic Shrine, the last two 
named being of Bridgeport. He is a 
member of the Improved Order of Red 
Men, and of Our Brothers Lodge, Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows. Masonic 
work has always claimed his devoted at- 
tention, and in 1920 he performed a signal 
service for the local lodge. Since the 
erection of the Masonic building in 1886, 
St. John's Lodge, No. 6, had occupied the 
top floor, and with the purchase of the 
property early in 1920 by the Central 
Trust Company the lodge faced the prob- 
lems of paying a greatly increased rental 
or finding new quarters. Mr. Lynes pro- 
posed that the building that had formerly 
been the Chapel of the Holy Saviour, 
maintained by St. Paul's Episcopal 
Church, be purchased. The wisdom of 
the plan and the possibility of securing 
sufficient funds were doubted by many, 
but Mr. Lynes' energetic enthusiasm won 
the day and St. John's Temple Associa- 
tion was organized with him as president. 
He led in the campaign for subscriptions, 
worked tirelessly in planning the large 
fair that yielded welcome proceeds, and 
finally was able to announce to his fellow 
members, on behalf of his associates in 
the financial drive, that the required 



amount had been raised and that the 
lodge owned a new home. In expression 
of their appreciation of his leadership in 
this project, his brother Masons, at an 
open meeting in connection with the dedi- 
cation of the temple, presented him with 
a handsome gold watch, chain and pen- 
dant. Mr. Lynes attends St. Paul's Epis- 
copal Church and aids in the support of 
its good works. 

(The Maltby Line). 

(I) William Maltby, the ancestor, was 
one of the most prominent men of Bran- 
ford, Connecticut, and died September 1, 
1710. He held many important offices, 
serving as magistrate and as representa- 
tive to the General Court. He married 
Abigail Bishop, born in New Haven, Oc- 
tober 30, 1659, died October 24, 1710, 
daughter of Deputy Governor James 
Bishop, of Connecticut, and his wife, 
Mary (Lamberton) Bishop, daughter of 
Master Lamberton, of the phantom ship. 

(II) Jonathan Maltby, sixth child of 
William and Abigail (Bishop) Maltby, 
was born in Branford, Connecticut, July 
26, 1698. He married, in Stamford, Sep- 
tember 25, 1719, Sarah Potter, born Au- 
gust 22, 1690, daughter of John and Sarah 
(Selleck) Potter. The parents of Sarah 
(Selleck) Potter were John and Sarah 
(Law) Selleck. Sarah (Law) Selleck 
was a daughter of Richard and Margaret 
(Kilbourne) Law. 

(III) Jonathan (2) Maltby, eldest 
child of Jonathan (1) and Sarah (Potter) 
Maltby, was born June 29, 1720. He mar- 
ried Abigail Holmes, of Greenwich, and 
their only child was Jonathan, of whom 
further. 

(IV) Captain Jonathan (3) Maltby, son 
of Jonathan (2) and Abigail (Holmes) 
Maltby, was born December 17, 1744. He 
was a sea captain in the East Indies 
trade, and lived in one of the historic 



62 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



houses named in the "History of Fair- 
field County" as "Colonial No. 4." This 
house was built in 1766 by Isaac Tucker, 
who sold it to Captain Maltby, by whom 
it was occupied during the Revolution, 
being one of the few left standing at the 
burning of Fairfield. Henry Rowland, a 
grandson, in writing some reminiscences, 
states : "Grandfather Maltby's house was 
reserved as a cook house. After the con- 
flagration, when the British had gone 
aboard their ships the inhabitants re- 
turned. Grandfather Maltby, on return- 
ing to his house, found all their valuable 
china scooped off the shelves to the floor 
and broken to pieces, and everything up- 
side down. In the kitchen fire-place hung 
a large brass kettle filled with their hams, 
but they dared not eat them, fearing they 
were poisoned, so they started anew with 
provisions." Captain Maltby's son, Wil- 
liam Maltby, inherited the place and sold 
it to Justice Hobart. The house is still 
standing in good condition (1921). Jon- 
athan (3) Maltby was first lieutenant of 
the "Trumbull," one of the first cruisers 
built for the Continental navy, Dudley 
Saltonstall, commander. She went into 
service about April, 1780, carrying twen- 
ty-eight guns and a crew of two hundred. 
Her first engagement under Captain 
Nicholson occurred June 2nd of the same 
year with the "Watt" ("Wasp?"), an 
English letter-of-marque, under Captain 
Colehart. She carried thirty-four guns 
and two hundred and fifty men. The 
"Watt" was a private vessel with a cargo 
of great value, and was especially 
equipped to fight her way. This was the 
first action of any moment that occurred 
in 1780, and was known as the most ob- 
stinate and sanguinary naval battle during 
the Revolution. The "Trumbull," being 
badly disabled, failed to capture the 
"Watt," although she defeated her. The 
next summer, 1781, she left the Delaware, 



still under Captain Nicholson, having 
been thoroughly equipped as convoy to 
twenty-eight sail of merchant craft bound 
for Cape Francois, West Indies. Off the 
capes the "Trumbull" met three British 
cruisers astern. Two of them, one a 
frigate, stood for the "Trumbull," which 
ship, by hauling up, gained the wind of 
them. While standing on in this man- 
ner, hoping for the darkness, which was 
fast approaching, a gale carried away the 
"Trumbull's" foretopmast, which in fall- 
ing brought down the main-gallantmast. 
She was otherwise disabled and, night 
coming on, was unable to clear up the 
wreck. At ten o'clock the "Iris," thirty- 
two guns, one of the vessels in chase, 
closed with her and forced her to combat. 
In the midst of rain and tempestuous 
winds, Captain Nicholson found himself 
obligated to go to quarters or to strike 
without resistance. He preferred to do 
the first, but the English volunteers on 
board, instead of obeying orders, went be- 
low, extinguished lights, and secreted 
themselves. Nearly half the remaining 
men followed their example, and Captain 
Nicholson could not muster even fifty 
of the diminished crew he had at the 
guns. The battle that followed might be 
said to have been fought by the officers. 
These brave men, sustained by a party 
of petty officers and seamen, manned a 
few of the big guns for more than an hour, 
and when the "General Monk," eighteen 
guns, came up and joined in the fire of the 
"Iris," the "Trumbull" submitted. The 
"Trumbull," after her capture, was towed 
into New York Harbor and condemned. 
Though unsuccessful in her battles, she 
still fought two of the most famous fights 
that took place on the ocean during the 
exciting times of the Revolution. Jon- 
athan Maltby was afterward appointed 
master of the "Argus," a cutter in the 
service of the United States for the pro- 



63 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



tection of the revenue. The commission 
of Jonathan Maltby as lieutenant is dated 
October 12, 1776, and is signed by John 
Hancock. His commission as captain is 
dated March 21, 1791, and is signed by 
George Washington. In December, 1775, 
Lieutenant Jonathan Maltby was on the 
"Alfred," its captain, Dudley Saltonstall ; 
first lieutenant, John Paul Jones; and sec- 
ond lieutenant, Jonathan Maltby. 

Captain Jonathan (3) Maltby married, 
October 23, 1768, Elizabeth Allen, born 
in Fairfield, Connecticut, April 13, 1749, 
daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel David 
and Sarah (Gold) Allen, of Fairfield. 
Their daughter, Hannah, married Stephen 
Coley Lynes (see Lynes VI). Elizabeth 
(Allen) Maltby was a great-granddaugh- 
ter of Lieutenant Gideon Allen, and a 
granddaughter of Gideon Allen, Jr., born 
about 1675, married Annah Burr, born 
1675, daughter of Nathaniel and Sarah 
(Ward) Burr. Nathaniel Burr was a son 
of John Burr, and died February 26, 1712. 
John Burr was born in England about 
1600, and died in Fairfield, Connecticut, 
in 1670. Sarah (Ward) Burr was the 
daughter of Andrew and Esther Ward. 
Andrew Ward was a freeman in 1634, and 
with Ludlow and others had a commis- 
sion from Massachusetts to govern the 
people of Connecticut for one year, yet 
the date of his removal to Stamford is 
1641 and he was probably governor until 
that time. Sarah (Gold) Allen was a 
daughter of John and Joanna (Hawley) 
Gold, granddaughter of Hon. Nathan 
Gold. The latter lived in Fairfield. He 
married Hannah Talcott. Their son, 
John Gold, married (first) Hannah Slaw- 
son ; (second) Johannah (Joanna) Haw- 
ley. Hon. Nathan Gold was the son of 
Major Nathan Gold, who came from St. 
Edmundsbury, England, to Fairfield, 
Connecticut, in the reign of Charles II. 
and became a landholder in Fairfield in 
1649. 



WHEELER, Arthur Canfield, 

Manufacturer, Publisher, Man of Affair*. 

In a busy career that has included val- 
uable public service in addition to pro- 
ductive private activity, Arthur Canfield 
Wheeler has been prominently known in 
Norwalk, Connecticut, his birthplace, as 
manufacturer, publisher, and man of af- 
fairs, while the full circle of his relation- 
ships has brought him into touch with all 
the best interests of his city. He is a 
member of an old New England family, 
son of Charles Henry and Ann Eliza 
(Canfield) Wheeler, grandson of Benja- 
min and Permelia (Bouton) Wheeler, 
and great-grandson of Simeon Wheeler, 
of Wilton, Connecticut. 

(I) Benjamin Wheeler, grandfather of 
Arthur C. Wheeler, was born June 17, 
1801, died January 12, 1880. He was the 
owner of a saw and grist mill. He was a 
devout Methodist. He married, January 
3, 1819, Permelia Bouton, born in Ridge- 
field, Connecticut, February 16, 1798, 
daughter of Jesse and Sally (Bouton) 
Bouton. The Bouton family descends 
from John Bouton, believed to have been 
a son of Count Nicholas Bouton. He was 
a Huguenot and during the great per- 
secution fled to England and from there 
to America about 1635. He married 
(first) Joan Turney, (second) Abigail 
Marvin, (third) Mrs. Mary Stevenson. 
The line descends through his son, Jo- 
seph, and Mary, his wife; their son Joa- 
chin (or Jakin), who had the title of cap- 
tain and marched with General Montgom- 
ery against Quebec ; his son, Ebenezer, 
and Abigail, his wife ; their son, Jesse, and 
Rachel, his wife ; their son, Jesse, father 
of Permelia Bouton, wife of Benjamin 
Wheeler. Children of Benjamin and Per- 
melia (Bouton) Wheeler: 1. Betsey, born 
December 10, 1821, died May 14, 1888; 
married Rev. Alonzo B. Pulling. 2. 



64 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Charles Henry, of whom further. 3. John 
B., born about 1839, died in October, 191 1. 

(II) Charles Henry Wheeler, son of Ben- 
jamin and Permelia (Bouton) Wheeler, 
was born in Ridgefield, Connecticut, Au- 
gust 26, 1829, and died April 1, 1899. 
He was educated in Amenia (New York) 
Seminary, and as a young man taught 
school in Wilton, Connecticut, and Lewis- 
boro, New York, and for a number of 
years was head of a private school in 
Norwalk, Connecticut. His talent for 
teaching was a natural gift, love of his 
calling and orderly, logical methods of 
instruction combining to make his work 
in the classroom inspiring and effec- 
tive. Poor health caused his retirement 
from the profession he so ably repre- 
sented, and he became a foreman in the 
hat factory of Beatty Brothers, remain- 
ing there until his death. He was a Re- 
publican in politics, and gave public- 
spirited service to his town in numerous 
capacities, filling the office of first select- 
man of Norwalk from 1884 to 1890, and 
also that of school director. He married, 
in Lewisboro, New York, April 13, 1854, 
Ann Eliza Canfield, born July 12, 1833, 
died May 16, 1909, daughter of Daniel and 
Sally Canfield. Both Charles H. Wheeler 
and his wife were members of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal church, Mr. Wheeler a 
member of the official board of the South 
Norwalk congregation, serving as clerk 
for a number of years and also as Sun- 
day school teacher and superintendent. 
Children: 1. Mary Evelyn, born January 
31, 1855 ; married, in September, 1880, 
Seaman W. Haines (deceased), of Led- 
yard, New York, and she now resides in 
Chula Vista, California. 2. Arthur Can- 
field, of whom further. 3. Carrie Viola, 
born October 28, 1858; married, in June, 
1881, Charles W. Littell. 

(III) Arthur Canfield Wheeler, son of 
Charles Henry and Ann Eliza (Canfield) 

Coon — 8 — S 



Wheeler, was born in Norwalk, Connec- 
ticut, August 26, 1856. His father was 
his first educational mentor, and he was 
subsequently a student in the Norwalk 
public schools. As a youth of fourteen 
years he became office boy in the employ 
of Beatty Brothers, and the twenty years 
of his association with this firm wit- 
nessed his steady advance through all de- 
partments of the business to the position 
of confidential clerk in charge of the 
firm's bookkeeping and financial affairs. 
In 1888 the Beatty brothers retired from 
active life and Mr. Wheeler succeeded 
to ownership of the enterprise, which he 
conducted prosperously until 1891. In 
that year he sold it to Vanderhoef & Com- 
pany, retaining a part interest, and re- 
maining in charge as manager and co- 
director until the liquidation of the busi- 
ness in 1916. 

Mr. Wheeler is president of the Hour 
Publishing Company, owners of the "Nor- 
walk Hour," a newspaper known through- 
out New England journalism as one of 
the best published in cities of Norwalk's 
size. Mr. Wheeler has been the principal 
stockholder of this company since 1903, 
and has been an influential factor in its 
upbuilding to its present high standing. 
Among his official business connections 
are directorships in the National Bank of 
Norwalk and the Fairfield County Sav- 
ings Bank. He is also president of the 
Germ-Proof Cup Corporation, a concern 
whose sturdy growth promises a most 
successful continuance. 

Mr. Wheeler has been a lifelong Repub- 
lican, and has been placed as his party's 
candidate in several places of responsi- 
bility and trust. When Norwalk was a 
borough he served as a burgess, and in 
1893, when incorporation was made as a 
city, he became a member of the first City 
Council, and as chairman of the commit- 
tee on lights made the ten year contract 



65 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



for city lighting. In 1895 ne was elected 
mayor, reelected in 1896, and during 
his administration accomplished, among 
other commendable works, the widening 
of Wall street, the widening of the bridge 
by eight or ten feet, and the laying of 
brick paving. For many years prior to 
his retirement from office, about 1916, Mr. 
Wheeler was chairman of the School 
Board, his total service covering a period 
of nearly twenty-five years. 

His fraternal affiliations are with the 
Masonic order and the Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows. He is a member of St. 
John's Lodge, No. 6, Free and Accepted 
Masons, of which he is past master, and 
he is past grand master of the Grand 
Lodge of Connecticut, and a member of 
the Past Grand Masters' Association. He 
is past high priest of Washington Chap- 
ter, Royal Arch Masons; a member and 
past commander of Clinton Commandery, 
No. 3, Knights Templar, of Norwalk ; past 
grand commander of the Grand Com- 
mandery, and member of the Grand En- 
campment of the United States. He is 
also a member of Lafayette Consistory, 
Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret ; and 
Pyramid Temple, Ancient Arabic Order 
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Bridge- 
port. In the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows he has been likewise active, and is 
a past grand of Our Brothers Lodge, past 
chief patriarch of Kabosa Encampment, 
and past grand patriarch of the Grand En- 
campment of Connecticut, holding the 
last named office in 1899. His fraternal 
relations have been treasured by him for 
their principles and symbolisms, and for 
their close fellowship in the pursuit of 
worthy aims. Mr. Wheeler is a member 
of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, and has 
been a vestryman for many years. He 
has been a member of the council of the 
Nation-wide Campaign, and a member of 
the executive committee, the finance and 



budget committees, and the local com- 
mittee. The work of the denomination 
has always received a generous share of 
his time, and with his influence and his 
means he has furthered all of its activities. 

Mr. Wheeler married, June 23, 1880, 
Susie Cousins, born in Darien, Connecti- 
cut, daughter of Thomas Cousins, born 
in England, who came to the United 
States in 1850 and was for a time a resi- 
dent of Brooklyn, New York, later en- 
gaging in shoe manufacture in Norwalk. 
Children: 1. Ernest Cousins, born Sep- 
tember 30, 1885 ; a member of the firm of 
J. & T. Cousins Shoe Company, of Brook- 
lyn, New York ; married Edna A. Aus- 
tin. 2. Harold Arthur, born June 10, 
1891 ; married Margaret Heath Lane, of 
South Norwalk, and they have one child, 
Frederick Arthur, born December 13, 
1916. 

This is the record, in outline, of the 
work of Arthur C. Wheeler, of Norwalk. 
It has been performed in honor, with 
profit to splendid causes, and his commu- 
nity continues the beneficiary of his pub- 
lic-spirited, progressive endeavor. 



THOMAS, Edward James, 

Journalist. 

The Norwalk "Hour," ranking as one 
of the leading newspapers of New Eng- 
land in a city of Xorwalk's class, has for 
two decades had as its publisher Edward 
James Thomas, who is also treasurer and 
manager of the Hour Publishing Com- 
pany. 

Mr. Thomas is a son of James Thomas, 
his family of Welsh descent, tradition 
being that the Thomas line are direct 
descendants of Sir Rhys ap Thomas, K. G., 
who was a lineal descendant of the an- 
cient kings of Wales, and whose castle 
and estates were forfeited to the crown 
during the reign of Henry the Eighth. 



66 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Two brothers of this descent came from 
Wales together, one settling in New York 
and the other in New Orleans. 

The census of 1790 gives Gregory 
Thomas as a resident of Norwalk, Con- 
necticut, having a wife and one child, 
a daughter, living with him. Gregory 
Thomas descended from John and Eliz- 
abeth Thomas, of Fairfield, whose son, 
Joseph Thomas, fought in the French and 
Indian War, in 1758. (French and In- 
dian War rolls, page 15 17.) Two sons of 
Joseph and Phoebe (Gregory) Thomas 
were Nathan and Gregory Thomas. Jo- 
seph was killed in the battle of Mon- 
mouth, New Jersey, June 28, 1778. Greg- 
ory enlisted February 1, 1778, and at the 
close of the war located in Norwalk, died 
May 6, 181 1, and is buried in the old Sil- 
vermine Cemetery. Among the children 
of Gregory Thomas was Charles, grand- 
father of Edward James Thomas. Charles 
Thomas was a lumber merchant, and re- 
sided for a time at Wilton, later making 
Norwalk his home. Charles Thomas mar- 
ried, about 1818, Sarah Crofoot, daughter 
of Ebenezer and Sarah (Gregory) Cro- 
foot, granddaughter of Joseph and Esther 
(St. John) Crofoot, great-granddaughter 
of Ebenezer Crofoot, and great-great- 
granddaughter of Joseph Crofoot. Sarah 
(Gregory) Crofoot, wife of Ebenezer 
Crofoot, was descended from John Greg- 
ory through his son, Jachin, his son, Dea- 
con Matthew, his son, Ensign Matthew, 
a Revolutionary soldier; and his son, 
Elias Gregory, her father. 

James Thomas, son of Charles and 
Sarah (Crofoot) Thomas, was during his 
busy and active life a sea captain and 
civil engineer. He was one of the sur- 
veyors for the proposed parallel railroad 
in Connecticut, a project that never ma- 
terialized. He married, in Norwalk, Au- 
gust 15, 1863, Clara Stevens Doty, daugh- 
ter of Isaac Reed Doty. (See Doty line). 



Edward James Thomas, only child of 
James and Clara Stevens (Doty) Thomas, 
was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, Jan- 
uary 21, 1870. He attended grammar 
and high schools and prepared for col- 
lege, but owing to serious illness in his 
family was compelled to abandon his plan. 
As a youth of fifteen years he became 
employed in a stationery store, soon after- 
ward entering the Norwalk post office in 
the capacity of clerk. Later he was trans- 
ferred to the South Norwalk post office 
as assistant postmaster to establish the 
foreign money order department and the 
free delivery system in that section of the 
city. His initiative and ability attracted 
the favorable attention of James Golden, 
editor of the South Norwalk "Sentinel," 
and he offered Mr. Thomas a position as 
reporter for Norwalk, which was ac- 
cepted. He afterward became a member 
of the reportorial staff of the Danbury 
"News," then returned to Norwalk and 
the service of the "Sentinel." During this 
period he represented the Associated 
Press and contributed articles to several 
leading New York newspapers, including 
numerous illustrated feature articles for 
the Sunday editions. Mr. Thomas re- 
mained with the "Sentinel" until Febru- 
ary 27, 1901, when he became associated 
with the company which purchased the 
control of the Norwalk "Hour," then 
owned by the estate of Brainard W. 
Maples. The "Hour" has been, insofar 
as a single interest can be said to have 
occupied him, his life work, and his able, 
devoted service as publisher, treasurer 
and manager has been responsible in no 
small measure for its strong, influential 
position of the present day. Mr. Thomas 
has been for a number of years vice- 
president of the Connecticut Daily News- 
paper Association. He is also a member 
of the National Editorial Association, the 
Connecticut Editorial Association, the In- 



67 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



ternational Circulation Managers, the 
American Newspaper Publishers' Asso- 
ciation, the New England Alliance of 
Daily Newspapers, and the Employing 
Printers of Connecticut. In all of these 
he has been active through committee 
service, and has cooperated heartily in 
their work. 

In other associations that are distinc- 
tively Norwalk's, Mr. Thomas has like- 
wise taken a leading part. He was one 
of the fathers of the Fourth of July Mar- 
di Gras, an annual institution that has 
made Norwalk noted throughout the State 
for her Independence Day celebration. 
He was an organizer of the Alpha Wheel 
Club, an organization that gained fame 
far beyond the confines of Norwalk. Mr. 
Thomas has always been a Republican, 
and although he has always held decided 
views on public affairs and issues, has 
never entered public life. Norwalk has 
had no more loyal champion than he, and 
all causes advancing the prosperity and 
welfare of his city number him among 
their energetic supporters. He is a Ma- 
son in fraternal affiliation, holding the 
thirty-second degree, and is a member of 
St. John's Lodge, Free and Accepted Ma- 
sons ; Washington Chapter, Royal Arch 
Masons ; Clinton Commandery, Knights 
Templar, all of Norwalk: and Lafayette 
Consistory, Sovereign Princes of the 
Royal Secret ; and Pyramid Temple, 
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, both of 
Bridgeport. In the days of the popular- 
ity of the bicycle, Mr. Thomas was an ex- 
pert cyclist. He has always been fond 
of out-door recreation, and with the in- 
troduction of the automobile was an early 
owner, now an enthusiastic motorist. For 
forty years he has been a member of the 
Norwalk Methodist Episcopal Church. 
He is a member of the Norwalk Club and 
the Craftsmen's Club. 

Mr. Thomas married, in Norwalk, April 



8, 1891, Nellie May Kellogg, daughter of 
Martin (3) and Jennie (Pooley) Kellogg. 
(See Kellogg line). 

(The Doty Line). 

Abner Doty, parents' names not known, 
was probably descended from Isaac Doty, 
the first of that name from Oyster Bay, 
Long Island. Abner was a farmer and 
lived at Southeast, Putnam county, New 
York. He died about 1797. Among his 
children was Abner. 

Abner (2) Doty, son of Abner (1) Doty, 
was born at Southeast, Putnam county, 
New York, about 1781, and died about 
1822. He lived at Southeast, Mount 
Washington, and Amenia. He married, 
at Southeast, in 1802, Esther Reed, daugh- 
ter of Daniel Reed. Among his children 
was Isaac Reed. 

Isaac Reed Doty, son of Abner (2) and 
Esther (Reed) Doty, was born in Mount 
Washington, Dutchess county, New York, 
June 13, 1813, and lived in Norwalk, Con- 
necticut, where he died April 23, 1882. 
The following is quoted from an obituary 
notice: "He was a man of earnest nature, 
firm in his convictions, and could not be 
swerved from what he believed to be his 
duty. He served the town for many years 
as constable and grand juror. He was a 
hard working and cautious business man." 
He married, in Norwalk, Connecticut, 
April 2, 1834, Mary Ann Disbrow, born 
September 12, 1812, daughter of Phineas 
Sherwood and Rhuamy (Murray) Dis- 
brow. They were the parents of Clara 
Stevens Doty, born December 17, 1839, 
who married James Thomas. 

(The Kellogg Line). 

According to family tradition. Great 
Britain was the original home of the Kel- 
logg family, and there are a number of 
legends to that effect. The most general 
is that advanced by Hon. Day Otis Kel- 
logg, formerly United States Consul at 



68 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Glasgow, and one of the earliest collec- 
tors of Kellogg data. He relates the tra- 
dition that the Kelloggs were partisans 
of James VI., of Scotland, and came with 
him to England when he ascended the 
British throne, and remained there until 
their settlement in New England. He 
says that the name is derived from two 
Gaelic words, kill, a cemetery, and loch, a 
lake, that is, the "Family of the Lake 
Cemetery." The name is found in old 
English records as early as 1420, and 
County Essex, England, is the earliest 
home of the Kelloggs. In the Lay Subsidy 
Rolls of Debben, County Essex, January, 
1525, Nicholas Kellogg, of Debben, and 
William Debben are taxed on "mov- 
ables." 

Nicholas Kellogg was born about 1488, 
and was buried at Debben, May 17, 1558. 
He married Florence Hall, daughter of 
William Hall ; she was buried November 
8, 1571. Among their children was Tho- 
mas. 

Thomas Kellogg, son of Nicholas and 
Florence (Hall) Kellogg, resided in Deb- 
ben. 

Phillipe Kellogg, the first English an- 
cestor from whom the Kelloggs of the 
New World can with certainty trace their 
descent, was probably the son of Thomas, 
and grandson of Nicholas. Among his 
children was Martin. 

Martin Kellogg, son of Phillipe Kel- 
logg, was baptized at Great Leighs, No- 
vember 23, 1595. He married, in County 
Hertford, October 22, 1621, Prudence Bird, 
daughter of John Bird. He died in Brain- 
tree, England, between May 20, 1671, 
when his will was made, and September 
20, 1671, when it was proved. He was 
the father of Daniel. 

Daniel Kellogg, son of Martin and Pru- 
dence (Bird) Kellogg, was baptized in 
Great Leighs, England, February 6, 1630, 
and died in 1688. It is not known exactly 



when he came to New England. He was 
one of the early settlers of Norwalk, Con- 
necticut, which was incorporated Septem- 
ber 11, 1651. He was selectman, 1670; 
representative to the General Court, 1670- 
1672-74-75-77-79-80-83. He married Brid- 
get Bouton, daughter of John, Sr. and 
Alice Bouton ; she died in 1698. Among 
their nine children was Daniel (2). 

Daniel (2) Kellogg, son of Daniel (1) 
and Bridget (Bouton) Kellogg, was born 
in Norwalk, Connecticut, May 7, 1671. 
It is not known whom he married. He 
died at Norwalk before July 28, 1709, as 
his estate, valued at £504, was appraised 
on that date. His eldest child was Dan- 

id (3). 

Daniel (3) Kellogg, son of Daniel (2) 
Kellogg, was born at Norwalk, May 7, 
1698, died 1762. He married, in Hunting- 
ton, Long Island, Eunice Jarvis, of that 
town, born 1703, died 1767, daughter of 
Thomas Jarvis. They had eight children. 

Jarvis Kellogg, son of Daniel (3) and 
Eunice (Jarvis) Kellogg, was born at 
Norwalk, in 1731, died March 22, 1815. 
.He was a farmer, lived in Norwalk, and 
served in Lieutenant Carter's company 
in the Revolution. He married (first) 
January 10, 1760, Elizabeth Smith, who 
died in 1778. He married (second) in 
1781, Hannah Meeker, who died in 1832. 

Deacon Jarvis (2) Kellogg, son of Jar- 
vis (1) and Elizabeth (Smith) Kellogg, 
was born at Norwalk, April 20, 1768, and 
died July 18, 1831. He married in 1792, 
Mercy Selleck, born June 12, 1770, died in 
1850, daughter of Captain James Selleck, 
a Revolutionary soldier. 

Martin (2) Kellogg, son of Deacon Jar- 
vis (2) and Mercy (Selleck) Kellogg, was 
born at Norwalk, July 3, 1808, and died 
May 14, 1867. He resided in Norwalk, 
New Canaan, Connecticut, and Bedford, 
New York. He married (first) October 
15, 1828, Jane Gray, born in 1809, died 



69 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



in 1840, daughter of Stiles and Helena 
Gray. He married (second) Clarissa Jane 
Lockwood, daughter of Pelegand Clarissa 
(Dann) Lockwood. 

Martin (3) Kellogg, son of Martin (2) 
and Clarissa Jane (Lockwood) Kellogg, 
was born October 19, 1846. He was street 
commissioner of Norwalk. He married, 
at New Canaan, Connecticut, June 2J, 
1867, Jennie Pooley, born at Huntington, 
Long Island, August 17, 1852, daughter 
of James and Maria Jane Pooley. He 
was the father of Nellie May Kellogg, 
born at Norwalk, April 24, 1873; married, 
in Norwalk, April 8, 1891, Edward James 
Thomas (see Thomas line). 



NEILSON, Howard Stout, 

Physician, Served in World 'War. 

Two brothers named Neilson emigrated 
to America from Belfast, Ireland, in the 
early part of the eighteenth century. 
Their father, John Neilson, was a cele- 
brated surgeon of Dublin, and was pro- 
fessor of surgery in the medical depart- 
ment of the University of Dublin. This 
university was founded in 1591 and has 
a single college, Trinity. There was a 
monument erected to Dr. John Neilson in 
Dublin, which was recently destroyed in 
Sinn Fein riots. James Neilson, who 
came first, established himself in New 
Brunswick, New Jersey. He was wealthy, 
was a trader, and had vessels sailing to 
Belfast, Madeira, and the West Indies. 
He was a judge, a member of Council, and 
a warm friend of the Revolution. He 
married and left no issue. 

(I) Dr. John Neilson, younger brother 
of James Neilson, born 1717, was a phy- 
sician, and died March 19, 1745. He mar- 
ried Catherine Coeymans, of Coeymans 
Manor, below Albany, New York. Chil- 
dren : Gertrude ; John, of whom further. 

(II) John (2) Neilson, son of Dr. John 



(1) and Catherine (Coeymans) Neilson, 
was born March 11, 1745, on the old home- 
stead of the New Jersey branch of the 
Coeymans, on the Raritan river, near 
Somerville, New Jersey, and died in New 
Brunswick, March 3, 1833. He was edu- 
cated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, then 
went to live in New Brunswick, New Jer- 
sey, with his uncle, James Neilson. At 
the outbreak of the Revolution John Neil- 
son raised a company of volunteers, and 
was made captain. He was in the expedi- 
tion to the east end of Long Island to 
disarm Tories. On August 31, 1775, he 
was commissioned colonel, and August i, 
1776, commanded the First Regiment of 
Infantry of his county. In December of 
that year he planned a surprise attack on 
the British quartered on Bennett's Island, 
which was made the following February 
18th, and was brilliantly successful. In 
1780 he was deputy quartermaster-gen- 
eral of New Jersey. The following is 
quoted from the Daughters of the Amer- 
ican Revolution Lineage Book, No. 16,345 : 
"General John Neilson, born 1745, died 
1833, served as colonel with minute men, 
I 775! brigadier-general of militia, 1777; 
deputy quartermaster-general at close of 
war. Lafayette presented him with a 
sword. He was born in New Brunswick, 
died there ; married Catherine Voorhees." 
After the war he was one of the state 
convention which ratified the constitution. 
He retired to private life and resumed 
mercantile business, and in civil life long 
exerted a commanding influence. A 
street in New Brunswick is called Neilson 
street, and a military company assumed 
the title "Neilson Guards." General Neil- 
son was one of the most distinguished 
and influential men of New Brunswick. 
When the Declaration of Independence 
was brought from Philadelphia he read it 
to an assembled multitude in the streets 
of New Brunswick. He was one of the 



70 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



early members of the board of trustees 
of the Theological Seminary of New 
Brunswick. He was married, December 
31, 1768, to Catherine Voorhees (see Van 
Voorhees line). John and Catherine 
(Voorhees) Neilson were the parents of: 

1. Joanna, born July 30, 1771, died 1773. 

2. John, born April 3, 1775, married, 1798, 
Abigail Bleecker. 3. Joanna, born Janu- 
ary 26, 1777, died 1781. 4. Gertrude, born 
April 25, 1780, died 1863; married George 
Spofford Woodhull. 5. Catherine, born 
March 28, 1783; married, in 1804, Augus- 
tus Fitz Randolph. 6. James, born De- 
cember 3, 1784, died 1862; married (first) 
Rivini Forman ; (second) Jane Dunlap; 
(third) Harriet Benedict; (fourth) Cath- 
erine Bleeker. 7. Joanna, born June 7, 
1786, died 1858, unmarried. 8. Abraham 
Schuyler, of whom further. 9. Cornelia 
Lott, born November 19, 1794, died 1797. 

(III) Abraham Schuyler Neilson, son 
of John (2) and Catherine (Voorhees) 
Neilson, was born September 10, 1792, 
and died June 30, 1861. He married, in 
New Brunswick, New Jersey, June 6, 
1815, Catherine Stevens Grant. Children: 
William Howard, of whom further ; Mary 
E., married T. Robinson Warren ; prob- 
ably others. 

(IV) William Howard Neilson, son of 
Abraham Schuyler and Catherine Stevens 
(Grant) Neilson, was born January 12, 
1820. He married Hannah Maria Hoover. 
They were the parents of Charles Hoover, 
of whom further. 

(V) Charles Hoover Neilson, son of 
William Howard and Hannah Maria 
(Hoover) Neilson, was married, October 
7, 1873, to Kate Strandley Pritchard (see 
Pritchard line). Their son, Howard 
Stout, of whom further. Mrs. Neilson 
married (second) William H. Bishop. 

(VI) Howard Stout Neilson, son of 
Charles Hoover and Kate Strandley 
(Pritchard) Neilson, was born in New 



York City, August 30, 1874. He pre- 
pared for college at Peekskill Academy, 
and then entered the New York Homoeo- 
pathic Medical College and Hospital, 
whence he was graduated M. D. in 1895. 
At graduation he received the honorary 
mention medal for his thesis on fractures 
and dislocations, and while at college he 
served as surgical editor of the "Chiron- 
ian." He was an interne at the Flower 
Hospital in 1895-96, demonstrator of an- 
atomy from 1896 to 1901, lecturer on 
pathology from 1900 to 1902, and chief 
demonstrator of pathology in 1903. In 
the last named year he resigned from the 
faculty and withdrew from medical prac- 
tice. 

Dr. Neilson was one of the organizers 
of the Home Bank and Trust Company of 
Darien, and was its vice-president from 
its founding until 1920, when he suc- 
ceeded to the presidency of the institution, 
his present office. He became a resident 
of Darien in 1903, and in 1906 built one of 
the finest residences of this section of the 
State. His estate is named "Althea 
Farm," and here he has for eighteen years 
given much time and attention to the 
breeding of blooded horses, having for 
some time past centered his efforts on 
Arab and Arab-thoroughbred cross. He 
has exhibited the best of his stables at 
numerous horse shows in the East, and 
his work is well known among breeders. 

On March 28, 1917, Dr. Neilson was 
commissioned captain in the remount 
service of the United States army, and 
while on duty in the United States pur- 
chased thousands of horses for army use, 
traveling to all parts of the country on 
this mission. He was ordered to France 
in March, 1918, commissioned major, Sep- 
tember 5, 1918, and remained on active 
duty until February 21, 1919. He was 
appointed a member of the Remount 
Board by special order No. 65, War De- 



71 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



partment, May 17, 1919. On December 
19, 1919, commissioned lieutenant-colonel 
in Reserve Corps, Remount Section. 

Dr. Neilson was one of the founders of 
the Alpha Sigma fraternity, and a member 
of the Connecticut State Board of Agri- 
culture ; Connecticut State Welfare Com- 
mission ; Darien School Board ; Breeding 
Committee United States Remount Asso- 
ciation ; Army and Navy Club of Amer- 
ica ; Grolier Club, New York ; Bibliophile 
Society, Boston ; secretary-treasurer Ara- 
bian Horse Club of America; member 
Arab Horse Club of England ; Hackney 
Horse Society ; National Pony Breeders' 
Association, England ; Morgan Horse 
Club ; Horse Association of America ; 
American Jersey Cattle Club ; New Eng- 
land Shorthorn Breeders' Association; 
New England Dairymen's Association; 
Hampshire Swine Breeders' Association ; 
New York Zoological Society ; Stamford 
Yacht Club ; Woodway Country Club. 

Dr. Neilson married, June 4, 1901, Jane 
Wallace Piatt, daughter of Isaac Stephen 
and Mary Jane (Redfield) Piatt (see Piatt 
and Redfield lines). Isaac S. Piatt is a 
member of the New York Chamber of 
Commerce. Children : Jane Wallace and 
Katharine Bishop (twins), born April 8, 
1902 ; Wallace Piatt, born November 24, 
1903 ; Marion Redfield, born February 9, 
1907; Edith Howard, born November 17, 

i9 r 3- 

(The Van Voorhees Line). 

(I) Stephen (Steven) Coert Van Voor- 
hees was born in Hees, Holland, in 1600, 
emigrated to America in 1660, settling in 
Flatlands, Long Island, and died there in 
1684. He married in Holland, and among 
his children was Lucas Stevense, of whom 
further. 

(II) Lucas Stevense Van Voorhees, 
son of Stephen Coert Van Voorhees, was 
born in 1650. He married (first) Cath- 
erine Hansen Van Noortstrand, daugh- 



ter of Hans and Jannecken Gerritse 
Van Loon; (second), in 1689, Jannetje 
Minnes ; (third), in 1703, Catherine Van 
Dyck. Among his children was Jan Lu- 
casse, of whom further. 

(III) Jan Lucasse Van Voorhees, son 
of Lucas Stevense and Catherine Hansen 
(Van Noortstrand) Van Voorhees, was 
baptized February 19, 1675. He married 
(first) Ann Van Duyckhuysen, daughter 
of Jan Teunnisen and Agatha (StoothofT) 
Van Duyckhuysen; (second) in 1704, 
Mayke R. Schenck. Among his children 
was Johannis, of whom further. 

(IV) Johannis Van Voorhees, son of 
Jan Lucasse and Ann (Van Duyckhuysen) 
Van Voorhees, was born July 19, 1700 
and died in 1733. He married, in 1721, 
Sara Schenck, daughter of Jan Rolofse 
and Sara (Kouwenhoven) Schenck, and 
among his children was Johannis, of 
whom further. 

(V) Johannis (2) Van Voorhees, son 
of Johannis (1) and Sara (Schenck) Van 
Voorhees, was born November 18, 1729, 
and died in 1802. He was a minuteman 
in the Middlesex, New Jersey, militia. He 
married Catherine Schuyler, born 1733, 
died 1782. 

(VI) Catherine Voorhees (Van Voor- 
hees), daughter of Johannis (2) and 
Catherine (Schuyler) Van Voorhees, was 
born December 25, 1753, and died August 
2, 1816. She married. December 31, 1768, 
Colonel John Neilson (q. v.). 

(The Tritchard Line). 

(I) James Pritchard, of Prowley, Eng- 
land, was born in London, February 2, 
1788, died in New York, January 30, 1823, 
and was buried in St. Paul's Churchyard. 
He was an actor of note. He married, 
July 24, 181 1, Catrina Lewis (see Lewis 
and Van Benschoten lines). She died of 
cholera in La Grange, Dutchess county, 
New York, September 10, 1846, and was 
buried in Freedom Plains Churchyard. 



72 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Children, born in New York City: John 
Nicholas, of whom further; William Ed- 
ward, born November 15, 1815, died 
young; James William, born January 17, 
1817, killed November 20, 1834, married 
Caroline Turnbull. 

(II) John Nicholas Pritchard, son of 
James and Catrina (Lewis). Pritchard, 
was born in New York, July 13, 1812, and 
died in Baltimore, Maryland, August 19, 
1888. He was in the banking business in 
early life, but for the last forty years of 
his life was president of the Lumbermen's 
& Mechanics' Insurance Company of St. 
Louis, Missouri. He organized the Na- 
tional Guard of St. Louis, was captain 
of the first company, afterwards colonel 
of the regiment. He married, July 28, 
1835, Amelia J. Stubbs, born in George- 
town, Maryland, July 26, 1813, died in 
New York, August 20, 1890. Children: 
James, born October 21, 1836; Fannie I., 
born June 17, 1838, married, 1859, William 
Tod Helmuth ; Katherine Strandley, of 
whom further ; Nicholas W. R., born Sep- 
tember 20, 1856, died April 20, 1861. 

(III) Katherine Strandley Pritchard, 
daughter of John Nicholas and Amelia J. 
(Stubbs) Pritchard, was born October 
17, 1849. She married (first) Charles 
Hoover Neilson (see Neilson line). She 
married (second) William H. Bishop. 

(The Lewis Line). 

(I) Leonard Lewis married, November 
16, 1688, Elizabeth Hardenburg. He re- 
moved to Poughkeepsie, New York, was 
colonel in the militia, and kept the first 
tavern. He married Elizabeth Harden- 
burg. He had son Thomas, of whom 
further. 

(II) Thomas Lewis, son of Leonard 
and Elizabeth (Hardenburg) Lewis, was 
born August 23, 1694, and died in 1766. 
He married, October 4, 1714, Anna Maria 
Vander Burgh. He had son Leonard, of 
whom further. 



(III) Leonard (2) Lewis son of Tho- 
mas and Anna Maria (Vander Burgh) 
Lewis, was baptized in Poughkeepsie, 
July 6, 1720, and died before 1766. He 
had son Thomas, of whom further. 

(IV) Thomas (2) Lewis, son of Leon- 
ard (2) Lewis, married, in 1776, Rachel 
Van Benschoten (see Van Benschoten 
line). Among his children was Catrina, 
born February 19, 1779, married, July 24, 
181 1, James Pritchard (see Pritchard 
line). 

(The Van Benschoten Line). 

(I) Theunis Eliasen Van Benschoten 
was in Kingston, New York, in 1671. He 
died between February, 1725-26, and Feb- 
ruary, 1727-28. He married Gerritje 
Gerrits, parentage unknown, and had son 
Elias, of whom further. 

(II) Elias Van Benschoten, son of 
Theunis Eliasen and Gerritje (Gerrits) 
Van Benschoten, was baptized November 
23, 1679, in Kingston. He married (first) 
in 1705, Sarah Jans Jansen, daughter of 
Jans Mattysen Jansen and Magdalena 
(Blanchan) Jansen; married (second) in 
1716, Catrina Keyser, daughter of Dirk 
Cornelius and Agnietta (Coens) Keyser. 
Among their children was Elias, of whom 
further. 

(III) Elias (2) Van Benschoten, son 
of Elias (1) and Catrina (Keyser) Van 
Benschoten, was born April 23, 1717. He 
married Jaquemyntje Van Couwenhoven, 
daughter of Johannes and Rachel (Ben- 
son) Van Couwenhoven. Among their 
children was Rachel, of whom further. 

(IV) Rachel Van Benschoten, daugh- 
ter of Elias (2) and Jaquemyntje (Van 
Couwenhoven) Van Benschoten, was 
born September 12, 1761. She married, 
in 1776, Thomas Lewis (see Lewis line). 

(The Piatt Line). 

It is well known that the name Piatt 
is frequently found in various parts of 
England. Coats-of-arms have been 



73 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



granted to six or seven of the family from 
the time of Edward III, 1326, to the twen- 
ty-first year of the reign of Queen Eliza- 
beth. The first ancestor in America was 
Richard Piatt, believed to have been the 
"Richard, son of Joseph" baptized Sep- 
tember 28, 1603, in Bovington, a village 
near Hertford, England, died in Milford, 
1684. He came to America in 1638, 
landed in New Haven, Connecticut, and 
had eighty-four acres of land in and near 
New Haven. He was among the first 
settlers in Milford, Connecticut, and was 
deacon there in 1669. His children by 
his wife Mary, who died in January, 1676, 
were : Mary, probably born in England, 
as were John, Isaac, of whom further, and 
Sarah ; Epenetus, of whom further ; Han- 
nah, baptized October 1, 1643; Josiah, 
baptized 1645 ! Joseph, baptized 1649. 

Isaac Piatt, son of Richard Piatt, set- 
tled in Huntington, Long Island, and was 
enrolled among the fifty-seven landown- 
ers of that place in 1666. He was a cap- 
tain of militia, and held "every office of 
consequence in the gift of his townsmen." 
He died July 31, 1691. He married (first) 
March 12, 1640, Phebe Smith; (second) 
after 1660, Elizabeth Wood, daughter of 
Jonas Wood. Children : Elizabeth, born 
1665 ! Jonas, born 1667; John, born 1669; 
Mary, born 1674 ; Joseph, born 1677 ; Ja- 
cob, born 1682 ; and others. 

Epenetus Piatt, son of Richard Piatt, 
born in Milford, baptized July 12, 1640, 
was called captain, sometimes lieutenant, 
and held many offices. He also settled in 
Huntington, Long Island, and was en- 
rolled among the fifty-seven landowners 
of that place in 1666. He died in 1693. 
He married, in 1667, Phebe Wood. Chil- 
dren: Phebe, born 1669; Mary, born 1672; 
Epenetus, born 1674; Hannah, born 1679; 
Elizabeth, born 1682; Jonas, born 1684; 
Jeremiah, born 1686; Ruth, born 1688; 
Sarah, born 1692. 



(I) Israel Piatt, a descendant of Epe- 
netus Piatt, was born in 1738, baptized in 
Huntington, Long Island, March 30, 1740, 
and died of yellow fever in 1796 in New 
York City. In the early part of the Revo- 
lution he moved from Huntington, Long 
Island, to Pleasant Valley, Dutchess 
county, New York, and was a captain of 
militia during the Revolution. He mar- 
ried (first) Elizabeth Scudder, of Hun- 
tington ; married (second) Abigail, sur- 
name unknown. Children: Stephen, of 
whom further; Edwin, born 1764, died 
1788; Henry, baptized 1764, died young; 
Sarah, married Dr. Cyrenius Crosby ; 
Zilla, born 1773, married Egbert Barton; 
Ruth, born 1778, married Samuel Rey- 
nolds; Betsey, born 1781, died 1848, mar- 
ried Ariovistus Pardee ; Harriet, born 

1785, married Walter Perlee ; Nancy, born 

1786, married Rufus Herrick. 

(II) Stephen Piatt, son of Israel and 
Elizabeth (Scudder) Piatt, was born in 
Huntington, Long Island, March 28, 1762. 
He removed to Freehold, Albany (now 
Greene) county, New York, about 1788, 
and there was drowned, December 12, 
1800. He was a lieutenant in the army of 
the Revolution at the age of nineteen, 
later was justice of the peace, and mem- 
ber of the Legislature for Albany county 
from 1793 to 1795. He married (first) 
Dorcas Hopkins, daughter of Roswell 
Hopkins ; she died in 1790, in her twenty- 
sixth year. He married (second) Lydia 
Sutherland, born in 1766, died October 28, 
1837. Children by first wife : Fanny, mar- 
ried Charles Griggs; Abigail, married 
John House; Dorcas, married Rev. Sam- 
uel Robertson ; Sally, died 181 1. Children 
by second wife : Harriet, married Dr. Bela 
Brewster ; Isaac L., of whom further ; 
Jacob S., twin of Isaac L., born April 5, 
1793. married Catherine Waldron ; he 
purchased property in New York City 
and cut the street through which bears 



74 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



his name, Piatt street, in 1834; Eliza, 
married Gerard Van Schaick; Aramenta, 
second wife of Gerard Van Schaick. 

(III) Isaac L. Piatt, son of Stephen 
and Lydia (Sutherland) Piatt, was born 
April 5, 1793, and died in Plainfield, New 
Jersey, October 22, 1875. He was a man- 
ufacturer and importer of mirrors, and a 
resident of New York City throughout 
his life, being intimately connected with 
several important enterprises, including 
the Pennsylvania Coal Company and the 
Chemical National Bank, and a director of 
the latter organization. He was married, 
May 6, 1816, to Marion Erskine Ruthven, 
born January 1, 1796, died November 2, 
1854, daughter of John Ruthven, born 
1753, and had children : John R. ; Mary 
Jane R., married John P. Adriance ; Sam- 
uel R. ; Lydia ; Isaac Stephen, of whom 
further. 

(IV) Isaac Stephen Piatt, son of Isaac 
L. and Marion Erskine (Ruthven) Piatt, 
was born in New York City, January 5, 
1834, and died there November 15, 1904. 
He was educated in De Forrest's School 
in New York City, early in life became 
employed in a mercantile house, and later 
became a member of the firm of Adriance, 
Piatt & Company, manufacturers of har- 
vesting machinery. With this organiza- 
tion he was prominently identified 
throughout his life, serving for many 
years as president. He was a member of 
the New York Chamber of Commerce. 
He was a member of St. Andrew's Soci- 
ety and the Century Club. He married, 
October 16, 1866, Mary Jane Redfield, 
daughter of James Starr Redfield (see 
Redfield line). Children: 1. Wallace 
Redfield, born December 20, 1867, died 
April 29, 1887. 2. Marion Erskine, born 
August 20, 1869; married Dr. Charles B. 
Keeler (see Keeler line). 3. Charles How- 
ard, born October 10, 1872, died Feb- 
ruary 9, 1921 ; married Ida Maud South- 



ack, daughter of George Southack, of New 
York City ; they have one daughter, Mar- 
ion Erskine. 4. Jane Wallace, born De- 
cember 4, 1874; married Howard Stout 
Neilson (q. v.). 

(The Redfield Line). 

Thus far the antecedents of the Red- 
field family of America have not been 
traced in England. This name, like most 
other old names, has undergone a change 
in spelling, its present form having for 
some reason not discovered been adopted 
by the second generation in this country. 
The immigrant ancestor of the family was 
William Redfin, and that form of the 
name was spelled in various ways in the 
early records as Redfen, Redfyn and Red- 
fyne. 

(I) The first record of William Redfin 
shows him as an occupant of a house and 
four acres of land on the south side of the 
Charles river, about six miles from Bos- 
ton, near the northwest corner of what is 
now the town of Brighton. This was in 
1639, an d he may have located there at 
an earlier date. He was one of the first 
settlers upon that side of the river, and 
was no doubt of English origin. He sold 
the place in September, 1646. He prob- 
ably joined the ranks of those who re- 
moved about that time to what is now 
the town of Ledyard, Connecticut. The 
first positive evidence we have of his 
presence there is in 1653, when he built 
a house on Brewster's Neck, on land con- 
veyed to him by Jonathan Brewster, May 
29, 1654. He died about April or May, 
1662, leaving a widow Rebecca and four 
children, three of whom were daughters. 
The last record we have of his widow 
Rebecca is in 1667. There is evidence 
to indicate that he followed the trade 
of stone-mason as opportunity offered. 
During the residence of the family in New 
London the spelling of the name, as 



75 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



shown in various documents on record, 
was gradually changed to its present 
form. 

(II) James Redfield, son of William 
and Rebecca Redfin, was born about 1646. 
On April 1, 1662, he bound himself for 
five years to Hugh Roberts, of New Lon- 
don, to learn the trade of tanner. In May, 
1669, he was married in New Haven to 
Elizabeth How, born in 1645, daughter of 
Jeremy How, of New Haven. Jeremy 
How was a son of Edward How, one of 
the early settlers of Lynn, Massachusetts, 
who was admitted freeman there in 1636; 
was several times chosen representative ; 
was a member of the Essex Court in 1637 ; 
attended the court which was convened 
in Boston in March, 1639, and in April 
dropped dead while on his way home. 
The New Haven records show that a 
daughter Elizabeth was born to James 
Redfield in 1670, but he must have left 
New Haven soon after, for in 1671 his 
name appears as one of the inhabitants of 
Tisbury, Martha's Vineyard. In 1676 he 
was living with his family in Saybrook, 
Connecticut, plying the trade of weaver, 
and he was then recommended to the 
Council of Hartford as a fit person to 
reside in and care for the newly repaired 
fort at the mouth of the Connecticut river. 
The appointment was probably made, for 
in 1683 and 1686 the town made him small 
grants of land contiguous to the fort. 
Here probably was born to him his son 
Theophilus, in 1682, whose mother soon 
after died, and before 1693 James Red- 
field had removed to Fairfield, Connecti- 
cut, married again, and before 1723 died. 
The roving character of this ancestor is 
rather remarkable. Tanner, seaman and 
weaver seem to have been his successive 
occupations. Born in Newtown, Massa- 
chusetts, apprenticed in New London, 
married in New Haven, resident for a 
time in Martha's Vineyard, then in Say- 



brook, and finally established in Fairfield, 
where he died. 

(Ill) Theophilus Redfield, son of 
James and Elizabeth (How) Redfield, 
was born in 1682, probably in Saybrook, 
Connecticut, and died February 14, 1759. 
He was a joiner by trade, and settled in 
Killingworth, Connecticut, soon after be- 
coming of age. In March, 1704-05, he 
purchased a small piece of ground in that 
part of Killingworth which was afterward 
set off as Clinton. On December 24, 1706, 
he married Priscilla Greenel (or Grin- 
nell), the seventeen year old daughter of 
Daniel and Lydia (Pabodie) Greenel, who 
three years before had settled in that part 
of Saybrook now known as Westbrook. 
Priscilla Greenel's mother, Lydia (Pa- 
bodie) Greenel, was born (according to 
"The Paybody Family" by B. Frank 
Pabodie), April 3, 1667, daughter of Wil- 
liam Pabodie, of Duxbury, Massachu- 
setts, and Little Compton, Rhode Island. 
William Pabodie was born in England, 
1620, and died December 13, 1707. He 
married, December 26, 1644, Elizabeth 
Alden, born 1624-25, "the first white 
woman born in New England," that being 
stated on her headstone at Little Comp- 
ton, Rhode Island; she died May 31, 
1717, daughter of John and Priscilla (Mul- 
lins) Alden, the story of whose marriage 
is immortalized in Longfellow's "Court- 
ship of Miles Standish." William Pabo- 
die (or Paybody) settled in Plymouth 
with his father ; afterward removed to 
Duxbury, where he held many offices of 
trust and responsibility. He owned much 
land there. He was one of those to whom 
Bridgewater was set off in 1645 '< was one 
of the first proprietors of Freetown in 
1659; was one of the original purchasers 
of Little Compton in 1675, an d removed 
there with his family about 1684. His 
father, John Paybody, was born in Eng- 
land about 1590, died in Bridgewater 



76 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



about 1667 ; had a wife named Isabel. He 
and his son William are named among 
the original proprietors of Plymouth. 
Daniel Grinnell, father of Daniel Grinnell, 
mentioned above, was born in 1636, .in 
Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and died at 
Little Compton in 1703. He married 
Mary Wodell, born November, 1640, 
daughter of William and Mary Wodell. 
William Wodell was in Boston at an early 
date, and died in Tiverton, Rhode Island, 
in 1693. In 1643, with others, he was 
banished from Massachusetts for "heresy 
and sedition" and returned to Ports- 
mouth, Rhode Island, where they had 
previously been living. In 1643 he was 
granted land in Portsmouth; was com- 
missioner, 1655-63 ; deputy, 1664-65-66-67- 
69-70-72-73-74-75-80-8 1 -82-83-84-86. Dur- 
ing these years he served on many 
important committees. In 1684 he was 
chosen assistant, but positively declined 
to serve. Daniel Grinnell was a malster; 
was made freeman in Portsmouth in 1657. 
His name appears in several real estate 
transactions in that town and in Little 
Compton. He served on the grand jury 
and as constable. His father, Matthew 
Grinnell, died prior to 1643; was a res i~ 
dent of Newport, Rhode Island. His wife 
Rose died in 1673. In 1713 James Red- 
field visited his son, Theophilus, in Kil- 
lingworth, and made over to him the title 
tract of land in Saybrook. Soon after, 
Theophilus bought a tract of land on 
Chestnut Hill, in the northern portion 
of Killingworth, and there he resided dur- 
ing the remainder of his life. Several of 
his descendants still occupy a portion of 
that site. He served on many important 
town committees, and was known as 
"Sergeant Redfield." His widow Priscilla 
survived him eleven years, and died Janu- 
ary 12, 1770, aged eighty-one years. He 
left nine sons and four daughters, all of 
whom lived to rear families. 



(IV) William (2) Redfield, son of The- 
ophilus and Priscilla (Greenel or Grin- 
nell) Redfield, was born in Killingworth, 
Connecticut, December 5, 1727. He re- 
sided for a brief time in Guilford, and 
there is evidence that he then owned and 
commanded a small coasting vessel, a fact 
which gave him the title of captain in 
later years. Retiring from that occupa- 
tion he became a resident of Middletown, 
Connecticut. His name is found in a list 
of the inhabitants of Middletown who 
in 1775 were adjudged liable to special 
military service in case of sudden alarm. 
In August, 1776, he was appointed second 
sergeant of the First Company in one of 
the regiments raised by Connecticut for 
the Continental service, and in the follow- 
ing year he was appointed issuing com- 
missary in the same service. He is said to 
have kept an inn in Middletown for a 
short period, and at one time had charge 
of the county jail. He was a prominent 
Free Mason. He died in July, 1813, in the 
eighty-sixth year of his age. He married 
Elizabeth Jarcie Starr, born in Middle- 
town, February 4, 1734, died about 1800. 

(V) Peleg Redfield, son of William (2) 
and Elizabeth Jarcie (Starr) Redfield, was 
born in Middletown, Connecticut, Janu- 
ary 22, 1762. About the age of fourteen 
he left his home, made his way to New 
London, where he joined a privateer 
which soon after, meeting a vessel sup- 
posed to be a British merchantman, boldly 
gave it battle. A nearer approach showed 
the supposed trading vessel to be a frigate 
in disguise. The unfortunate privateer 
had caught a tartar, and its crew were 
taken to New York as prisoners. Peleg's 
youth probably saved him from the hor- 
rors of a prison ship. A British officer 
noticed him and took a fancy to employ 
him as a servant. One day this officer 
with some comrades made an excursion to 
Long Island to dine with a Tory family. 



77 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



While the officers were feasting within, 
the lad was permitted to amuse himself 
without, and naturally had resource to the 
fruit trees for solace. While in the top 
of one of these he fell into sleep, either 
real or feigned, and when the hour of de- 
parture had arrived he was not to be 
found. His ears were deaf to the repeated 
calls, and search was in vain. Concluding 
that he had escaped, the officer departed 
without him. Then, descending, he man- 
aged in some way to reach the eastern 
part of the island and eventually found a 
boat to land him in Connecticut. He 
continued to follow the sea for most of 
his life, and besides his frequent long 
absences from home, and the fact that he 
died when his oldest son was but thirteen 
years of age, little is known of the details 
of his life. He married, in 1788, Elizabeth 
or Betsey Pratt, daughter of Jonathan 
and Mary (Latham) Pratt, of Middle- 
town, a descendant of John Pratt, one 
of the first settlers of Hartford, and of 
Cary (Latham) Pratt, one of the early 
settlers of New London. Peleg Redfield 
died September 10, 1802, leaving his 
widow and five children. She was a 
woman of strong character and earnest 
faith, and died February 2, 1825. Chil- 
dren: William, born March 26, 1789; 
Mary, born 1791, died 1792; Samuel, born 
February 14, 1793; Peleg, born April 5, 
1795; Mary Latham, born November 22, 
1797; James Starr, of whom further. 

(VI) James Starr Redfield, son of 
Peleg and Elizabeth (Pratt) Redfield, 
was born December 8, 1799. He removed 
to Ohio with his family in 1805, and set- 
tled in Medina county. He married (first) 
Mary Perkins, daughter of Josiah and 
Rachel Perkins; (second) Mrs. Mary 
(Mason) Rowe. Children, by his first 
wife: Rachel Harris, born March 11, 1832; 
William, born 1833, died 1837; James 
Perkins, born March 28, 1835; Joseph 



Harris, born January 18, 1837; William 
Henry, born 1839, deceased; Russel B., 
born June 21, 1841 ; Mary Jane, born April 
20, 1843, died November 2, 1904, lived in 
New York with her aunt, Mrs. William 
C. Redfield ; married, October 16, 1866, 
Isaac Stephen Piatt (see Piatt line). 



KEELER, Charles Bradley, 

Physician, Specialist. 

The record of Dr. Keeler's paternal line 
begins with Ralph Keeler, one of the first 
settlers of Norwalk, Connecticut, who was 
born in England about 1613. The first 
mention of him in America is as a lot 
owner in 1640 in Hartford, whence he 
moved to Norwalk about 1651. The name 
of his first wife is unknown, but he mar- 
ried (second), after 1651, Sarah Whipley, 
widow of Henry Whipley, of Norwalk. 
Children: Ralph, Jr., born about 1646; 
John, of whom further; Rebecca, born 
February 9, 1654, married James Pickett ; 
Samuel, born 1656. married Sarah St. 
John ; Elizabeth, born 1660, married Tho- 
mas Morehouse ; probably Jonah 

(II) John Keeler, son of Ralph and 
Sarah (Whipley) Keeler, was born in 
Norwalk, Connecticut, in 1652, and lived 
there. His will was dated February 27, 
1718-19. He married, June 18, 1679, Hit- 
tabel Rockwell, daughter of John Rock- 
well, of Stamford, a first settler, who 
came from Dorchester, England, and 
whose wife was Elizabeth (Weed) Rock- 
well. Children of John and Hittabel 
,(Rockwell) Keeler: John, Jr., born 1682, 
married Rhoda Hoyt ; David, married 
Mary St. John; Daniel, of whom further; 
Elizabeth, born 1688, married a Hoyt ; 
Mehittabel, married (first) Joseph Black- 
ley, (second) Caleb Hoyt; Hannah, mar- 
ried a Gregory ; Sarah, married a Hoyt, 
sometimes spelled Hayt; Jemima; Ruth, 
married, in 1727, Matthew Benedict. 



78 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



(III) Daniel Keeler, son of John and 
Hittabel (Rockwell) Keeler, was born in 
Norwalk, Connecticut. His will was dated 
November 4, 1764. He married Hannah 
Whitney, born in Norwalk, November 5, 
1707, daughter of John and Elizabeth 
(Finch) Whitney, granddaughter of John 
and Elizabeth (Smith) Whitney, great- 
granddaughter of Henry Whitney, the 
founder of the family in America. The 
Whitney ancestry is traced to Exrog, 
Knight of King Arthur's Round Table, 
and the family bore arms : Azure, a cross 
chequy or and sable. Children of Daniel 
and Hannah (Whitney) Keeler: Daniel, 
of whom further ; Hannah, born in Nor- 
walk, married, December 29, 1748, Ben- 
jamin Bolt; Dorothy, married, in 1750, 
Abram Hoyt; Isaiah, married Melicent 
Olmstead ; Lydia, baptized in 1737; Jere- 
miah, born about 1740, married Elizabeth 
Weed; Mary, baptized 1742, married Jo- 
seph Riggs ; Dinah, baptized 1744, mar- 
ried James Canfield ; John and Joseph 
(twins), born 1746, John married Phebe 
Hoyt; Elizabeth, baptized 1748, married 
Samuel North. 

(IV) Daniel (2) Keeler, son of Daniel 
(1) and Hannah (Whitney) Keeler, was 
born about 1730, and died December 24, 
1803. He and his wife Mary joined the 
church at New Canaan, August 14, 1753. 
Children : Hannah, baptized in New Can- 
aan, March 3, 1754, married Jachin Hoyt; 
Isaac, of whom further ; David, baptized 
July 19, 1761 ; Rhuama, baptized Novem- 
ber 13, 1763, died 1786. 

(V) Captain Isaac Keeler, son of Dan- 
iel (2) and Mary Keeler, was born May 
2, 1756, in Canaan parish, Norwalk, Con- 
necticut, and died January 23, 1837, when 
in his eighty-first year. When the Rev- 
olutionary War broke out he became a 
member of the Fourth Company, Sev- 
enth Regiment, under Captain Joseph 
Hoit, Colonel Charles Webb command- 



ing, served at Winter Hill under General 
Sullivan, was at Valley Forge during the 
memorable winter of 1777-78, and subse- 
quently took part in the battle of Mon- 
mouth. On December 7, 1775, the regi- 
ment was reorganized under Colonel 
Webb for service in 1776, and was adopted 
as a Continental organization, and Isaac 
Keeler was accredited to Norwalk. His 
military record is as follows : Commis- 
sioned ensign in Second Regiment (for- 
mation of 1777-80), January 1, 1777; sec- 
ond lieutenant, February 4, 1778; first 
lieutenant, August 1, 1779; quartermaster 
in 1781. He was a government pensioner 
and was a member of the Society of the 
Cincinnati. After the war closed he com- 
menced business life for himself, later re- 
moving to New York City, where he re- 
ceived the appointment of city marshal, 
and he also served at one time as police 
justice in that city. He was afterward 
given a position in the custom house, 
which he retained until his death. During 
the War of 181 2, when New York City 
was in danger of being attacked by the 
British, he volunteered for three months' 
service in the Veteran Corps of Revolu- 
tionary soldiers to guard the arsenal, and 
was made an officer in the corps. He 
bravely attempted to discharge the duties 
which fell to his lot with his old-time 
fidelity, but the labors and exposures of 
camp life proved too much for his years 
and enfeebled constitution, and he con- 
tracted a severe cold which developed in- 
to consumption, though he lived for many 
years afterward. He married (first), 
September 24, 1779, Sarah St. John, born 
May 11, 1755, died September 21, 1793. 
He married (second), December 15, 1793, 
Catherine Tuttle, born September 9, 1774. 
died July 28, 1854. Children by first mar- 
riage : Esther, born April 22, 1781 ; Na- 
omi, born September 24, 1783, married 
Stephen Ayres ; Isaac, born July 19, 1786, 



79 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



died December 25, 1786; Isaac, born 
May 25, 1789, married Hannah Olmsted ; 
Sally, born June 16, 1791, married Peter 
Crissy. Children by second marriage : 
Bradley, of whom further: Edward E., 
born November 28, 1796. 

(VI) Bradley Keeler, son of Captain 
Isaac and Catherine (Tuttle) Keeler, was 
born' September 26, 1794, in Canaan par- 
ish, Norwalk, Connecticut, and died July 
6, 1855. He was a carriage manufacturer 
by occupation, carrying on a business in 
New Canaan, where he also owned what 
is now the "Birdsall House." He mar- 
ried Polly Hoyt, who survived him many 
years, dying April 26, 1872. Children : 
Stephen Edwards, Sylvester Hoyt, and 
Isaac Eldridge, of whom further. 

(VII) Isaac Eldridge Keeler, son of 
Bradley and Polly (Hoyt) Keeler, was 
born September 8, 1826, in New Canaan, 
Connecticut. He spent his earlier life 
there, receiving his education in the dis- 
trict schools. He learned the trade of 
carriage-maker with his father, and fol- 
lowed the same successfully for a num- 
ber of years ; he made the celebrated 
coach owned by "Tom Thumb." He was 
the organizer of the Union Coach Com- 
pany, of Bridgeport, and was one of its 
officials for many years. In 1858 he be- 
came associated with the Wheeler & Wil- 
son Sewing Machine Company, in Bridge- 
port, Connecticut, as superintendent of 
their cabinet department, and removed to 
that town, becoming one of its prominent 
citizens. He was a member of the Artil- 
lery Company in Bridgeport, and during 
the Civil War was on home duty. He 
married, February 14, 1852, Jane Todd 
Porter, born February 17, 1830, daughter 
of Abijah and Rhoda Porter, of Bridge- 
port. Isaac E. Keeler died August 2, 
1885, and his wife survived him until Jan- 
uary 25, 1895. They were members of 
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Bridgeport, 



of which Mr. Keeler was warden for 
many years. In politics he was a Repub- 
lican. Children: 1. Emma, born March 
4, 1855; married, April 29, 1886, Roger H. 
Comstock, of Milford, Connecticut; she 
died in 1908. 2. George Eldridge, born 
September 30, 1861 ; resides in Spring- 
dale, Connecticut; married, September 17, 
1891, Annie May Warner, daughter of 
Frank Warner, of Wilton, Connecticut. 
3. Charles Bradley, of whom further. 4. 
Benjamin Hoyt, a sketch of whom fol- 
lows. 

(VIII) Dr. Charles Bradley Keeler, son 
of Isaac Eldridge and Jane Todd (Por- 
ter) Keeler, was born July 17, 1865, in 
Bridgeport, Connecticut, and there at- 
tended the public schools. His studies 
were interrupted by ill health and he went 
West to Kansas in search of a favorable 
change and climate, in 1885 entering 
Hahnemann Medical College, of Chicago. 
He was graduated M. D. from that insti- 
tution in 1889, having worked his way 
throughout his entire course, and in April 
of the year of his graduation he located 
in New Canaan, Connecticut. In 1914 Dr. 
Keeler built and occupied a beautiful res- 
idence of Colonial architecture in the ad- 
joining town of Darien, and has there 
continued practice. In professional activ- 
ity he has specialized in the treatment of 
diseases of the eye, ear, nose, and throat, 
is associated with the Ophthalmic Hos- 
pital of New York City, and holds re- 
sponsible position in his field. He is a 
member of the Ophthalmological, Otolog- 
ical, and Laryngological societies, the 
Fairfield County Medical Society, the 
Connecticut State Homoeopathic Society, 
the American Institute of Homoeopathy, 
and the American Medical Association. 

While a resident of New Canaan, Dr. 
Keeler served as health officer of the town 
and borough and as coroner's examiner. 
Fraternally he is affiliated with the Ma- 



80 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



sonic order and the Independent Order of 
Odd Fellows, in the former holding mem- 
bership in Harmony Lodge, No. 67, Free 
and Accepted Masons, of New Canaan ; 
Washington Chapter, Royal Arch Ma- 
sons, of Norwalk ; Clinton Commandery, 
No. 3, Knights Templar, of Norwalk, and 
Pyramid Temple, No. 9, Ancient Arabic 
Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of 
Bridgeport. He is a member of the Chi- 
ron Club, of New York City, whose mem- 
bership is limited to twenty, the Suburban 
Club, of Stamford, and the Woodway 
Golf Club. Dr. Keeler has long been an 
enthusiastic yachtsman, and is able to 
handle any craft. He is a graduate of 
Ullmark's Nautical Academy, and holds a 
master's license. At one time he was 
commodore of the Norwalk Yacht Club, 
and he is now a member of the New York 
Yacht Club, the Indian Harbor Yacht 
Club, of Greenwich, and the Stamford 
Yacht Club. Dr. Keeler is a member of 
the Sons of the American Revolution 
through the patriotic services of his great- 
grandfather, Captain Isaac Keeler. 

Dr. Keeler married (first) Gertrude C. 
Chidley, April 24, 1889 ; she died May 22, 
1907. He married (second) Ida Ashton, 
February 22, 1909; she died May 10, 191 1. 
He married (third), April 16, 191 2, Marion 
Erskine Piatt, daughter of Isaac Stephen 
and Mary Jane (Redfield) Piatt (see 
Piatt line). Mrs. Keeler is a member of 
the Society of Mayflower Descendants. 



was born December 3, 1867. He attended 
Bridgeport public schools and was later a 
student in a private school, subsequently 
pursuing professional studies in the Bal- 
timore Dental College. New Canaan has 
been his home and the scene of his prac- 
tice since his graduation, and he holds 
foremost position in his calling. His 
clientele is large and his work is highly 
appreciated in the community. Dr. Keeler 
is a member of Harmony Lodge, Free 
and Accepted Masons, of New Canaan, 
and Wooster Lodge, Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows, of New Canaan, of which 
he is past grand. 

Dr. Keeler married, November 6, 1889, 
Elizabeth Olmstead, daughter of Lewis 
and Hannah E. Olmstead, and they have 
one son, Benjamin Hoyt, Jr., born March 
16, 1891, in New Canaan, Connecticut; a 
civil engineer of Stamford, Connecticut; 
he married, October 30, 191 5. Jessie Close, 
of Norwalk, Connecticut, and has two 
children, Jane Howell, born April 19, 1918, 
and Charles Bradley, 2nd, born March 29, 
1920. 



KEELER, Benjamin Hoyt, 
Dentist. 

A present day representative of a fam- 
ily long prominent in Connecticut, Dr. 
Keeler has made dentistry his profession, 
following this calling in the district where 
the name of Keeler has long been familiar. 
Son of Isaac Eldridge and Jane Todd 
(Porter) Keeler, Benamin Hoyt Keeler 

Conn— 8— 6 8 1 



SKELDING, Schuyler Merritt, 

Active Business Man. 

The five years during which Mr. Skeld- 
ing has carried on business in his native 
town of Stamford have sufficed to place 
him high on the list of representatives of 
her real estate interests. He is promi- 
nent in the social and club circles of his 
community, and was among those who 
volunteered for service during the World 
War. 

The name of Skelding appears to be a 
variation of the Danish name Scolding, 
Scalding, derived from the Danish royal 
family, the "Skioldunger," signifying de- 
scendants of Skiold. Skiold, in the differ- 
ent forms of the various Scandinavian 
languages, signifies "a shield." 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



The Skeldings are an old family of 
Stamford, records showing that they have 
been established there over two hundred 
years. They have always been good cit- 
izens, aiding to the utmost in the devel- 
opment of the interests most vital to the 
progress and prosperity of the town. 

(I) Thomas Skelding, the first ances- 
tor of record, was of Stamford, and on 
June II, 1701, married Mary Austin. 

(II) Thomas (2) Skelding, son of Tho- 
mas (1) and Mary (Austin) Skelding, 
was born June II, 1703. On September 
5, 1726, he married Mary Brown, born 
October 2, 1705, daughter of Joseph and 
Mary Brown. Joseph Brown, a son of 

Francis Brown, married Mary . 

Francis Brown, born in England, about 
1607, came to this country in 1638 with 
the New Haven Company, led by The- 
ophilus Eaton and John Davenport, lo- 
cating in the Province of Connecticut. 
Subsequently he removed to Stamford, 
being a settler there about 1656. 

(III) James Skelding, son of Thomas 
(2) and Mary (Brown) Skelding, was 
born April 15, 1738. He married, June 9, 
1763, in Salem, New York, Mary Hait. 
The original form of the name of Hait 
was the German von Haight. In Eng- 
land it was changed to Hait, Hoyte and 
various other forms, which were pre- 
served when a branch was transplanted 
to the American colonies. 

(IV) James (2) Skelding, son of James 
(1) and Mary (Hait) Skelding, was born 
June 6, 1775. He married, December 29, 
1800, Hannah Knapp, a native of Green- 
wich, who died November 20, 1822, aged 
thirty-nine years and seven months. 

(V) Henry Knapp Skelding, son of 
James (2) and Hannah (Knapp) Skelding, 
was born November 30, 1801, in Green- 
wich. For many years he was a merchant 
in New York City. He affiliated with the 
Masonic fraternity. On retiring from 



business he again became a resident of 
Stamford, becoming one of the organizers 
and the first president of the Stamford 
Gas Light Company. He also served 
three years as warden of the borough. 
Mr. Skelding married, April 3, 1823, Delia 
Maria Lockwood, daughter of Captain 
Augustus Lockwood, and his death oc- 
curred August 31, 1871. 

(VI) William Frederick Skelding, son 
of Henry Knapp and Delia Maria (Lock- 
wood) Skelding, was born in 1833, in 
Stamford. He there married, December 
12, 1863, Amelia Merritt, daughter of 
Matthew Franklin Merritt, of that city. 
The Merritt genealogy is incorporated in 
the biography of the Hon. Schuyler Mer- 
ritt, which follows in the work. After 
his marriage Mr. Skelding engaged in the 
coal business in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsyl- 
vania. 

(VII) Franklin Merritt Skelding, son 
of William Frederick and Amelia (Mer- 
ritt) Skelding, was born in 1865. He was 
educated in the widely known private 
school presided over by Professor King. 
In 1885 he graduated at Columbia Uni- 
versity, and afterward engaged for a short 
time in newspaper work. He married 
Louise Darling Lockwood, daughter of 
Henry F. Lockwood. Mr. Skelding died 
in early manhood, passing away Decem- 
ber 1, 1895. The following tribute, which 
appeared in a local paper, is peculiarly 
felicitous: "There was that about his 
bright, genial, cheerful disposition which 
won good-will and friendship answering 
to his own, and he was endowed with pos- 
itive talents worthy of admiration and 
respect." 

(VIII) Schuyler Merritt Skelding, son 
of Franklin Merritt and Louise Darling 
(Lockwood) Skelding, was born August 
27, 1889, in Stamford. He received his 
early education in Miss Haff's school, 
passing thence to King's school, where 



8. 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



his father had been prepared for the uni- 
versity. In 1907 he graduated from King's 
school, and in 191 1 received from Brown 
University the degree of Bachelor of Arts. 
Immediately thereafter Mr. Skelding en- 
tered the service of the Bankers' Trust 
Company of New York City, remaining 
two years, and then spent another two 
years in association with the Yale & 
Towne Manufacturing Company, being 
employed in their New York office. All 
this time, however, Mr. Skelding retained 
his residence in Stamford, and in 1915 he 
identified himself with a real estate firm. 
In 1917 he engaged on his own account 
in the real estate and insurance business, 
and has already acquired a profitable cli- 
entele and built up for himself a sterling 
reputation. He is secretary and director 
of the H. S. Morehouse Hotel Company, 
which operates the Davenport, and he is 
also general manager and director of the 
Apartments Company. He is treasurer 
of the Mercantile Realty Company. Dur- 
ing the World War, Mr. Skelding's busi- 
ness career suffered an interruption by 
reason of his patriotic response to the call 
of the Federal government. He enlisted 
as a private in the 437th Engineer De- 
tachment which was stationed at Wash- 
ington Barracks. Later the value of his 
service was recognized by the award of a 
commission as second lieutenant. 

Mr. Skelding's fraternal associations 
are with Union Lodge, No. 5, Free and 
Accepted Masons ; Rittenhouse Chapter, 
Royal Arch Masons ; Clinton Command- 
ery, Knights Templar, and Pyramid Tem- 
ple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the 
Mystic Shrine. He is a member of the 
Delta Phi fraternity, and his clubs are 
the Suburban, Stamford Yacht, Wood- 
way Country, of Stamford, the Algonquin, 
of Bridgeport, and the New York Ath- 
letic and Brown University clubs, of New 
York. 



Throughout the changes incident to his 
career as a business man, Mr. Skelding 
has loyally chosen to remain a resident 
of the city with the history of which his 
ancestors were identified for two cen- 
turies. His record gives assurance that 
he will be true to his traditions of high- 
minded public service and so bring addi- 
tional honor to a name long and deserv- 
edly held in veneration. 



MERRITT, Hon. Schuyler, 

Manufacturer, National Legislator. 

Schuyler Merritt represents the Fourth 
Congressional District of Connecticut. 
His family had its origin in England and 
in Somersetshire, the county which al- 
most more than any other is invested with 
the indescribable and pervasive charm of 
immemorial tradition. As "King Ar- 
thur's country" it is the home of earliest 
romance, romance which has inspired the 
noblest work of one of England's great- 
est laureates. It is in this Old World 
haunt of song and story that we find the 
first known ancestor of the Merritts, Ead- 
noth, an Anglo thane, whose son, Hard- 
ing de Meriet, was the earliest to bear the 
family name. Members of this race, which 
was seated in Somersetshire prior to the 
Norman Conquest, are now numerous in 
almost every county of England. The 
name, variously spelled, and one of the 
most familiar and honorable, appears in a 
slightly altered form as Merriott, the des- 
ignation of a parish in Somersetshire de- 
rived from that of one of the ancestral 
seats of the family. 

Branches of the race were early trans- 
planted to New England and to other por- 
tions of the American colonies, and for 
well-nigh three centuries the Merritts 
have done their part in the development 
and upbuilding of the interests which 
have helped to make our land what she 



8? 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



is to-day. They are numbered among' the 
armigerous families of America. 

(I) Thomas Merritt, the earliest Amer- 
ican ancestor of record, was born in May, 
1634, and in 1662 purchased from Thomas 
Standish a home lot in Wethersfield, 
Connecticut. In 1673 ne settled in Rye, 
New York, and in 1683 his name appears 
on the list of Rye's proprietors. On July 
12, 1684, he was made constable. He 
purchased real estate, including a parcel 
of land called Pine Island, adjoining Mer- 
ritt's meadows. On April 12, 1694, he 
was commissioner to renew the Indian 
purchase at White Plains, and on Febru- 
ary 28, 1694, he was appointed vestryman 
of Rye, and served in 1695 an d 1697. On 
July 22, 1697, he served on a committee 
to select a minister, and on September 25, 
1697, was on a committee to build a meet- 
ing house. From 1667 to 1698 he was a 
collector of the minister's salary. He was 
one of those to w r hom was granted, Jan- 
uary 22, 1696, the patent of Rye. On 
January 19, 1697, Thomas Merritt and 
Deliverance Brown appeared before the 
General Court of Connecticut to obtain a 
charter for Rye. In 1698 Thomas Mer- 
ritt was called Senior. In October, 1699, 
he was deputy to the General Court, and 
from 1697 to 1699 served as townsman or 
trustee. On December n, 1699, he be- 
came a proprietor of Peningo Neck, and in 
1705 he was supervisor. On November 
1, 1707. he served on a committee to set- 
tle the line between Greenwich and Rye. 
On June 2, 1713-14-15-16, he was a mem- 
ber of the Grand Jury. He lived nearly 
opposite the site of the present Park In- 
stitute. Thomas Merritt married (first), 
December 3, 1656, Jane Sherwood, born 
in 1636, daughter of Thomas and Alice 
(Seabrook) Sherwood, and they became 
the parents of sons and daughters. The 
mother of the family died January 4, 1685. 
Thomas Merritt married (second), August 



13, 1688, Abigail Francis, born February 

14, 1660, daughter of Robert and Joan 
Francis, of Wethersfield, Connecticut. A 
son and a daughter were the offspring of 
this marriage. Thomas Merritt married 
(third), in 1696, Mary (Ferris) Lock- 
wood, daughter of Jeffrey Ferris, and wi- 
dow of Jonathan Lockwood. This first 
American ancestor of the Merritts lived to 
an advanced age, passing away on No- 
vember 10, 1725. 

(II) Joseph Merritt, son of Thomas 
and Jane (Sherwood) Merritt, was born 
June 6, 1662, and in 1683 was a propri- 
etor of Rye. He had assigned to him two 
acres on Hog-Pen Ridge, in 1707, which 
he fenced in, and in 1708 he was a pro- 
prietor of Wills Purchase. In 1717-18-22, 
he served on the Grand Jury. On Feb- 
ruary 27, 1722, he was an ensign in the 
Westchester County Military Company, 
and on May n, 1727, he signed a peti- 
tion of Presbyterians. Joseph Merritt 
married Jane . The death of Jo- 
seph Merritt occurred May 12, 1754. His 
will, which was made March 27, 1752, and 
proved June 6, 1754, is signed with his 
mark. 

(III) Nehemiah Merritt, son of Joseph 
and Jane Merritt, was born May 7, 1715, 
and in December, 1758, at the Oblong 
Meeting at Quaker Hill, Dutchess county, 
New York, showed a certificate of re- 
moval from the Mamaroneck Meeting. 
In 1760 he was on a committee to review 
the sufferings of the Friends at Oblong. 
On July 25, 1761, he and nine others 
signed a petition in behalf of themselves 
and fifteen others for twenty-five thou- 
sand acres on the east side of the Hudson 
river between Fort Edward and Lake 
George. On July 10, 1762. a meeting of 
the proprietors of Queensbury was held 
at the shop of Nehemiah and Daniel Mer- 
ritt in Beekman Precinct. Dutchess 
county, New York, and on November 8, 



84 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



1762, at a second meeting held at the same 
place, partition deeds were given to the 
thirty proprietors, including Nehemiah 
and his sons, Daniel and Ichabod. Nehe- 
miah Merritt had not been included in 
the Queensbury patent. On February 23, 

1763, he was one of the trustees to rent 
all undivided lands, and for a number of 
years was very active in real estate trans- 
actions. Nehemiah Merritt married (first) , 
Dinah Hopkins, daughter of Ichabod and 
Sarah (Coles) Hopkins; married (sec- 
ond), before 1761, Mary Dingy, daughter 
of Robert Dingy. Nehemiah Merritt died 
in 1794, and was buried in Quaker Hill 
Cemetery. 

(IV) Daniel Merritt, son of Nehemiah 
and Dinah (Hopkins) Merritt, was born 
July 23, 1738, and in 1763 became one of 
the proprietors of Queensbury, owning 
twenty-five acres there. He married 
(first), December 23, 1761, Hannah Wing, 
daughter of Abraham and Anstis (Wood) 
Wing. He married (second), October 1, 
1765, Sarah Mudge, daughter of Michael 
and Sarah (Hopkins) Mudge. Daniel 
Merritt died May 25, 1805, and was bur- 
ied in Quaker Hill Cemetery. 

(V) Nehemiah M. Merritt, son of Dan- 
iel and Sarah (Mudge) Merritt, was born 
April 26, 1772, in Quaker Hill, and in 1810 
was a dry goods merchant on Pearl street, 
New York. He lived at one time in 
Flushing, Long Island, and was a man of 
prominence in the community, being an 
acknowledged minister of the Society of 
Friends. Mr. Merritt married (first), 
February 28, 1793, Phoebe Thorne, born 
April 13, 1773, daughter of William and 
Jemima (Titus) Thorne, who died Janu- 
ary 30, 1823. He married (second), May 
11, 1827, Sarah Sutton, daughter of Moses 
and Rebecca (Underhill) Sutton. Mr. 
Merritt inherited the longevity character- 
istic of his ancestors, passing away on 



March 10, 1863, having nearly completed 
his ninety-first year. 

(VI) Matthew Franklin Merritt, son 
of Nehemiah M. and Phoebe (Thorne) 
Merritt, was born March 2, 1815, in Flush- 
ing, New York State, and received his 
education in public schools of Dutchess 
county. When about sixteen years of 
age he went to New York City and began 
his active employment there. He was 
associated, practically all his life, with the 
iron and steel business, and was as late 
as 1859 associated with his brother-in- 
law, George W. Quintard, in the great 
Morgan Iron Works of New York City. 
While still a young man, Mr. Merritt 
manifested an unusual enthusiasm and in- 
terest in political affairs, not as a seeker 
for office, but rather as an expression of 
that earnest and intelligent patriotism 
which distinguished him through life. He 
was an enthusiastic "old-line Whig" in 
ante-war days, but was disposed to con- 
servative views during the period imme- 
diately preceding the Civil War when 
many earnest patriots, North and South, 
were still hoping that some happy com- 
promise might still be potent to scatter 
the clouds of civil strife which were gath- 
ering on the horizon. From such motives 
as these he was for a time attracted to the 
support of the presidential ticket of Bell 
and Everett, but as the issue became 
clearer and it was evident to all that the 
vital question was union or disunion, no 
private citizen more heartily supported 
the hands of the government, or gave pro- 
portionately more liberal and persistent 
aid to all measures taken for its defense. 

In his business connection with the 
great iron and marine engine works Mr. 
Merritt was in a position to perform serv- 
ices of uncommon value, and his long and 
intimate personal acquaintance with the 
Hon. Gideon Welles, Secretary of the 



85 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Navy, aided in bringing him into promi- 
nence in connection with naval construc- 
tion. Largely through this channel he 
made the personal acquaintance of Pres- 
ident Lincoln himself and likewise of 
many of the leading generals, especially 
of the higher officers of the navy, such as 
Farragut, Foote, Dupont, Worden and 
others. He chanced to have seen all that 
could be seen from Fortress Monroe of 
the memorable battle between the "Mer- 
rimack" and the "Monitor," and a few 
days after had the privilege of meeting at 
dinner the gallant Worden and forming 
an acquaintance which was severed only 
by death. One of the later monitors, the 
"Cohoes," was built chiefly under Mr. 
Merritt's personal supervision. In order 
to undertake this work he organized the 
American Iron Works which continued to 
build ships and marine engines, Mr. Mer- 
ritt remaining in the shipbuilding business 
alone until 1869, when he retired. 

As already mentioned, he never aspired 
to political office, but in 1859 was elected 
State Senator from his district. He was 
often called upon to preside at public 
meetings, a position for which his tact, 
intelligence and habitual courtesy partic- 
ularly qualified him. These qualities 
were characteristic of him even in the 
heat of political contests, and as a result 
he provoked no malice and made no en- 
emies even among his bitter opponents. 

About 1855 Mr. Merritt became a resi- 
dent of Stamford, and during the war his 
main activity as a citizen was in promot- 
ing the political ascendancy of the party 
upon which in his view the strength and 
success of the Union cause depended. He 
was influential in organizing the First 
National Bank, and took an active part 
in the organization of Woodlawn Cem- 
etery, serving for many years as its vice- 
president. When the Republican party 



was organized in Connecticut, Mr. Mer- 
ritt became one of its original members. 
He affiliated with Union Lodge, No. 5, 
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. For 
many years he maintained, nominally at 
least, his birthright membership in the 
Society of Friends. Subsequently he be- 
came both in form and spirit a member of 
St. John's Protestant Episcopal Church of 
Stamford, prominent and valued in that 
communion during all the latter years of 
his life. 

Mr. Merritt married, in 1840, in New 
York City, Maria Shaw, daughter of Wil- 
liam and Clarissa (Hoyt) Shaw, and their 
children were: I. Amelia, born Septem- 
ber 16, 1841 ; married William F. Skeld- 
ing (a biography of whom precedes this) ; 
she died April 12, 1915. 2. Julia, born 
September 12, 1842, died December 15, 
1908. 3. Adeline, born May 27, 1848, died 
March 27, 1869. 4. Schuyler, mentioned 
below. 

The death of Mr. Merritt, which oc- 
curred May 10, 1896, removed from the 
roster of Stamford citizenship a name 
which had long distinguished it and which 
had been prominently identified with the 
social and political life of the town for 
nearly half a century. It removed from 
the midst of a circle of near friends and 
relatives one who was looked up to and 
loved by all, from the youngest to the eld- 
est. Even to much wider circles of the 
community his departure brought a sense 
of personal loss, more especially to the 
older citizens who were contemporaries 
of Mr. Merritt in the more active and 
conspicuous years of his life, and who 
knew, from personal recollection, what a 
large and honored place he filled here dur- 
ing one of the most memorable periods of 
our national history. 

(VII) Schuyler Merritt. son of Mat- 
thew Franklin and Maria (Shaw) Merritt, 



86 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



was born December 16, 1853, in New York 
City. He received his education in the pub- 
lic schools of Stamford, Connecticut. In 
1873 he graduated at Yale University with 
the degree of Bachelor of Arts, doing post- 
graduate work for a year thereafter. He 
then entered Columbia Law School, re- 
ceiving in 1876 the degree of Bachelor of 
Laws. The same year he was admitted 
to the bar in New York City, and after 
spending a year in a law office there en- 
tered the service of the Yale & Towne 
Manufacturing Company as an office as- 
sistant. This was in 1877, and in 1878 
he was elected secretary of the company 
and became a member of its board of 
directors. For several years he was gen- 
eral manager of the commercial end of 
the business, and from 1898 to 1902 filled 
the office of treasurer. For some years 
Mr. Merritt has been senior vice-presi- 
dent of the company. With his thorough 
legal equipment he has always had charge 
of those affairs of the organization which 
called for the services of a member of the 
bar, and has also protected its patent in- 
terests, giving special attention during 
recent years to the bank lock department. 
In 1905 Mr. Merritt was elected president 
of the Stamford National Bank, and when 
that bank and the First National Bank 
were consolidated in July, 1919, under 
the name of the First-Stamford National 
Bank, he was chosen president of the new 
organization. He is also a director of 
the Stamford Trust Company and the 
Virginia Iron, Coal and Coke Company. 

To the support of the principles of the 
Republican party Mr. Merritt has always 
given his political allegiance, and for very 
many years he has been active in public 
affairs, advancing step by step to that 
position of leadership which he has so 
long held. In 1884 he became a member 
of the School Committee of Stamford, and 



for fifteen or sixteen years continued to 
serve, most of the time as chairman of the 
board. He took a very active part in de- 
veloping the high school to its present 
complete and well equipped condition and 
in elevating it to its very high standing of 
to-day. For his part in helping to raise 
the standard of the graded schools the 
community is much indebted to him. In 
1910 he was appointed as a member of the 
State Board of Education and served un- 
til he was elected to Congress in 191 7. 
He was a member of the Constitutional 
Convention which met in Hartford in 
1904, and he also served for a number of 
years on the Board of Appropriation and 
Apportionment of Stamford. At a spec- 
ial election held in 1917 he was chosen to 
represent the Fourth Congressional Dis- 
trict in the United States House of Rep- 
resentatives, and was reelected in 1918 
and 1920. He is a member of the Com- 
mittee on Interstate and Foreign Com- 
merce. 

As a man of keen perception, sound 
judgment, wise counsel and unquestioned 
integrity, Mr. Merritt has made a notably 
successful record in the business world. 
The justice and fair-mindedness which 
have always characterized his relations 
with his employes have constituted no 
small factor in the prosperity of his com- 
mercial enterprises. He has taken an ac- 
tive interest in the Associated Charities. 
The patriotism characteristic of his race 
has marked Mr. Merritt's entire career 
and was called forth in all its strength by 
the late war. He was identified with a 
number of its activities, the most con- 
spicuous of his services being his chair- 
manship of Stamford's Liberty Loan 
Committee. The versatility of his tal- 
ents has enabled Mr. Merritt to achieve 
success in the law, in commerce and in the 
arena of politics. 



87 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



WHEELER, Elonzo Seth, 

Manufacturer. 

There are not many families who have 
sustained so high a character through so 
great a term of years as the Wheelers of 
Fairfield county, Connecticut. For over 
a century they have been resident in Nau- 
gatuck and Saugatuck, coming to the 
latter place in i860. Since 1837, in which 
year Elonzo Seth Wheeler started in busi- 
ness, this family has been prominent in 
manufacturing circles. The family is 
among the oldest settled in Connecticut, 
and the surname is one of the most an- 
cient in England. The first appearance of 
the name is in the eighth century; there 
was a Saxon chief who bore the name, 
and it is later found in the Domesday 
Book, at the time of William the Con- 
queror. The Hundred Rolls (1273) give 
record of the name of Hugh le Welere, 
and in the Close Rolls (1348) we find 
Richard Whelere. The derivation of the 
name is from the two Anglo-Saxon words, 
wel, or voxel, meaning prosperous, and hari, 
or here, meaning a warrior, so that the 
name signifies lucky warrior. The first 
known member of the family herein de- 
scribed in direct line is Agur Wheeler. 

(I) Agur Wheeler was born Decem- 
ber 20, 1754, and died at South Britain, 
Connecticut. He enlisted, August 15, 
1776, in Colonel Benjamin Hinman's 
company, from which he was discharged 
on account of illness. On June 28, 1776, 
he married Anna Tuttle, of South Britain, 
and she was born May 24, 1759, and died 
December 11, 1802. 

(II) Samuel Wheeler, son of Agur and 
Anna (Tuttle) Wheeler, was born at South 
Britain, Connecticut, May 18, 1786, and 
died November 17, 1863. He married 
Oria Hinman, born January 12, 1788, died 
August 5, 1858, a daughter of Jonathan 
and Betty (Hinman) Hinman, and a de- 



scendant of Titus Hinman, one of the first 
settlers of Woodbury, Connecticut. Sam- 
uel Wheeler followed farming throughout 
his lifetime. He was the father of Elonzo 
Seth Wheeler, of further mention. 

(Ill) Elonzo Seth Wheeler, son of Sam- 
uel and Oria (Hinman) Wheeler, was 
born March 29, 1816, in South Britain, 
Connecticut, and died in May, 1898, at 
Saugatuck, same State. He was educated 
in the public schools, and was only a 
young man when, in 1837, he started in 
the manufacturing business on his own 
account. He was one of the first manu- 
facturers of buttons in Connecticut. His 
start in business was a small venture, but 
he soon met with success, as, possessed 
of a very ingenious mind, he patented 
machinery that enabled him to decrease 
the cost of manufacture and increase the 
volume of output. Later, when glass 
buttons began to be used, Mr. Wheeler 
took up that line, and at a still later date 
he was one of the pioneer manufacturers 
of cloth covered buttons in the State. In 
association with his brother, J. E. 
Wheeler, he incorporated the business 
under the name of the Saugatuck Manu- 
facturing Company, of which Mr. Wheeler 
was president for a short time. He main- 
tained an office in New York City and had 
traveling men on the road. Mr. Wheeler 
was an upright and conscientious citizen, 
and interested in public matters, though 
by no means a politician. He was of a 
quiet and retiring nature and devoted his 
time to his business and his family. 

Mr. Wheeler married Caroline Smith, 
born April 29, 1816, in Naugatuck, died 
in March, 191 1, daughter of Anson and 
Sarah (Bouton) Smith. Mrs. Wheeler 
was a descendant of George Smith, and a 
granddaughter of Anthony Smith, who 
fought in the Revolution. Mr. and Mrs. 
Wheeler were the parents of five chil- 
dren: 1. Robinson Hinman, married Sa- 



88 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



rah Frances Smith, and has two chil- 
dren: Edith May and Charles Edward; 
with his family he resides in Naugatuck. 
2. Clarence LeRoy, married Cora Henry, 
and their children are : Elonzo Henry ; 
LeRoy Melville ; Mary Caroline, wife of 
Alfred Sharp, of Buffalo; Frederick E., 
married Frances Thomas ; Elsie ; Willard 
Clark, married Alice White. This family 
resides in Buffalo. 3. Kate Washington, 
deceased. 4. Bertha Caroline, married 
John Hazelton. 5. Elonzo Sterne. The 
Wheeler family were long members of 
Christ Episcopal Church until Trinity 
Church was built, at which time they be- 
came identified with the new church. 



REDFIELD, Tyler Longstreet, 

Printer, Publisher. 

To this should be added, "Chairman of 
the Board of Directors of the Redfield- 
Kendrick-Odell Company." For many 
years a publisher and printer of note in 
New York City, Mr. Redfield has re- 
mained a resident of Greenwich, actively 
identified with the interests of his com- 
munity and prominently associated with 
its club circles and its social life. 

The family name, which indicates the 
ancient English origin of the race, has 
undergone, with the lapse of centuries, 
numerous changes, being spelled succes- 
sively, Redfen, Redfyn and Redfyne. 

(I) William Redfen, founder of the 
American branch of the family, was 
among those courageous pioneers who 
landed on our shores soon after the ar- 
rival of the Pilgrims. Coming from Eng- 
land he was in Massachusetts as early as 
1639, and possibly earlier, owning and 
occupying a house and land on the south 
side of the river Charles, about six miles 
from Boston, near the northwest corner 
of what is now the town of Brighton. In 
September, 1646, he sold the property and 



probably joined those who removed to 
what is now the town of Ledyard, Con- 
necticut. The first evidence we have of 
his presence there is in 1653, when he 
built a house on Brewster's Neck, on land 
conveyed to him by Jonathan Brewster, 
May 29, 1654. He died about April or 
May, 1662. The Christian name of his 
wife was Rebecca and the last evidence 
we have of her is in 1667. During the 
residence of the family in New London, 
which occurred later, the spelling of the 
name, as shown in various documents on 
record, was changed to its present form. 

(II) James Redfield, son of William 
and Rebecca Redfen, was born about 
1646, and on April 1, 1662, bound himself 
to Hugh Roberts, of New London, for 
five years, "to learn the art and trade of 
tanning," being then about sixteen years 
of age. He married (first) in May, 1669, 
in New Haven, Elizabeth How, born in 
1645, daughter of Jeremy How, of that 
place, and a descendant of Edward How, 
one of the first settlers of Lynn, Massa- 
chusetts, who was admitted a freeman 
there in 1636; was several times chosen 
representative ; was a member of the Es- 
sex Court in 1637; attended the court 
which was convened in Boston in March, 
1639, and in April dropped dead while 
on his way home. In 1671 James Redfield 
was at Tisbury, Martha's Vineyard, and 
in July, 1676, he was back in Connecticut 
and engaged in weaving. At one time he 
lived in Saybrook, where the town 
granted him land. About 1686 he re- 
moved to Fairfield, where he married 
(second) Deborah, daughter of John 
Sturges, or Sturgis. In 1683 he had been 
granted land at Pipe Stains Point. The 
date of his death is not known, but it was 
probably prior to 1723. 

(III) Theophilus Redfield, son of 
James and Elizabeth (How) Redfield, 
was born in 1682, probably in Saybrook. 



89 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



He was a joiner, and soon after coming 
of age, in March, 1705, purchased a small 
piece of ground in that part of Killing- 
worth afterward set off as Clinton. He 
married, December 24, 1706, Priscilla 
Greenel (or Grinnell), the seventeen year 
old daughter of Daniel and Lydia (Pa- 
bodie) Greenel (or Grinnell), who three 
years before had settled in that part of 
Saybrook now known as Westbrook. 
Lydia Pabodie was born, (according to 
"The Pabodie Family," by B. Frank Pa- 
bodie), April 3, 1667, and was the twelfth 
child of William and Elizabeth (Alden) 
Pabodie. William Pabodie was of Dux- 
bury, Massachusetts, and Little Compton, 
Rhode Island. He was born in 1620, in 
England, and died December 13, 1707. 
He married, December 26, 1644, Elizabeth 
Alden, born in 1625, daughter of John and 
Priscilla (Mullins, or Molines) Alden, the 
story of whose marriage is immortalized 
in Longfellow's "Courtship of Miles 
Standish." William Pabodie (or Pay- 
body) settled in Plymouth with his fa- 
ther ; afterward removed to Duxbury, 
where he held many offices of trust and 
responsibility, and where he was the 
owner of much land. He was one of those 
to whom Bridgewater was set off in 1645 5 
was one of the first proprietors of Free- 
town in 1659; was one OI the original pur- 
chasers of Little Compton in 1675, and 
removed there with his family about 1684. 
His father, John Paybody, was born in 
England about 1590, died in Bridgewater 
about 1667 ; had a wife named Isabel. He 
and his son William are named among 
the original proprietors of Plymouth. 
Daniel Grinnell, father of Daniel Grinnell, 
mentioned above, was born in 1636, in 
Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and died in 
Little Compton, in 1703. He married 
Mary Wodell, born in November, 1640, 
daughter of William and Mary Wodell. 
William Wodell was in Boston at an early 



date, and died in Tiverton, Rhode Island, 
in 1693. In 1643, he, with others, was 
banished from Massachusetts for "heresy 
and sedition" and returned to Ports- 
mouth, Rhode Island, where they had 
previously been living. In 1643 ne was 
granted land in Portsmouth ; was commis- 
sioner, 1656-63; deputy, 1664-65-66-67-69- 
70-72-73-74-75-80-81-82-83-84-86. During 
these years he served on many important 
committees. In 1684 he was chosen 
assistant, but positively declined to serve. 
Daniel Grinnell was a maltster ; was made 
freeman of Portsmouth in 1657. His 
name appears in several real estate trans- 
actions in that town and at Little Comp- 
ton. He served on the Grand Jury and as 
constable. His father, Matthew Grinnell, 
died prior to 1643 ! was a resident of New- 
port, Rhode Island. His wife Rose died 
in 1673. About 1717 or 1718 Theophilus 
Redfield purchased about one hundred 
and twenty acres of land on Chestnut 
Hill in Killingworth, Connecticut, and 
there he resided during the remainder of 
his life. He served on many important 
town committees, and was known as 
"Sergeant Redfield." He died February 
14, 1759. His widow, Priscilla (Greenel 
or Grinnell) Redfield, died January 12, 
1770, aged eighty-one years. 

(IV) George Redfield, son of Theophi- 
lus and Priscilla (Greenel or Grinnell) 
Redfield, was born November 7, 1725, and 
lived in Killingworth. He married (first), 
in 1750, Trial Ward, daughter of Ira and 
Lydia (Parmelee) Ward, of that place. 
Mrs. Redfield died some time after 1762. 
He married (second), in 1767, Abigail 
Stone, who died in 1769. George Red- 
field died in Killingworth, May 30, 1812. 

(V) Peleg Redfield, son of George and 
Trial (Ward) Redfield, was born May 14, 
1762, and in 1777 enlisted as a fifer in the 
Connecticut Line. During the ensuing 
five years he served continuously and wit- 



Qo 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



nessed the burning of East Haven, being 
one of those who undertook to save New 
Haven from the marauding expedition 
under Tryon and Garth. In June, 1782, 
he was discharged and returned to Kil- 
lingworth, where he resumed his work, 
which was the trade of shoemaking. 
Later he removed to Suffield, and in 1800 
migrated to a tract which he had pur- 
chased near the present village of Clifton 
Springs, in the town of Farmington (now 
Manchester), Ontario county, New York. 
He was a member of the Baptist church 
and connected with a number of its be- 
nevolent associations. He married, in 
1787, Mary Judd, daughter of Heman 
and Anna (Goodrich) Judd, of Farming- 
ton, Connecticut, and his death occurred 
May 26, 1852, on his farm in Ontario 
county, New York. 

(VI) Manning Redfield, son of Peleg 
and Mary (Judd) Redfield, was born 
March 17, 1791. He was a volunteer in 
the War of 1812. He was a farmer in 
Manchester township, Ontario county, 
New York. He married, in 1828, Milicent 
Goodrich Hollister, of Berlin, Connecti- 
cut. On February 26, 1852, he died, ex- 
actly three months prior to the decease 
of his aged father. 

(VII) Charles Manning Redfield, son 
of Manning and Milicent Goodrich (Hol- 
lister) Redfield, was born July 12, 1841, 
in Manchester township. He received the 
greater part of his education in Rochester, 
New York. He was reared on a farm, 
but on reaching manhood became a mer- 
chant in Clifton Springs, New York. 
During the Civil War he enlisted in the 
Forty-eighth Regiment, New York Vol- 
unteer Infantry, but was attacked by 
rheumatism in Norfolk, Virginia, and thus 
incapacitated for further service. When 
about fifty years of age he retired from 
business. While adhering to the princi- 
ples of the Democratic party he was never 



a politician. He affiliated with Canandai- 
gua Lodge, No. 294, Free and Accepted 
Masons, of Canandaigua, and the Grand 
Army of the Republic. He married Caro- 
line Florence Younglove, daughter of 
Cornelius and Caroline (Eddy) Young- 
love, who died February 28, 1878. The 
name of Eddy is of Anglo-Saxon origin, 
and in its ancient form of Ead was not a 
surname. It signifies "prosperity." Wil- 
liam Eddye (as the name was then 
spelled) was a native of Bristol, Glouces- 
tershire, England, and from 1589 to 1616, 
when he died, was vicar of the Church of 
St. Dunstan, Cranbrook, Kent. He mar- 
ried (first), Mary Fasten, daughter of 
John Fasten, who died in 161 1. He mar- 
ried (second), in 1614, Elizabeth Taylor 
(widow). John Eddye, son of William 
and Mary (Fasten) Eddye, came in 1630 
with his brother Samuel to Plymouth, 
Massachusetts, and thus the American 
branch of the family had its origin. Fol- 
lowing is the Eddy escutcheon : 

Arms — Sable, three old men's heads couped at 
the shoulders argent, crined proper. 

Crest — A cross-crosslet fitchee sable, and a dag- 
ger argent, hilt or, in saltire. 

Motto — Crux tnihi grata quies. 

Mr. and Mrs. Redfield were the parents 
of the following children : Tyler Long- 
street, mentioned below ; Judd Hamilton, 
a biography of whom follows in this 
work; and Harriet Caroline, married A. J. 
Short, of Clifton Springs, now of Lima, 
New York. The family were members 
of the Protestant Episcopal church in 
which Mr. Redfield served as warden. 
Mr. Redfield died January 9, 1913. 

(VIII) Tyler Longstreet Redfield, son 
of Charles Manning and Caroline Flor- 
ence (Younglove) Redfield, was born De- 
cember 18, 1865, in Clifton Springs, New 
York, and attended the public schools of 
that place. At the age of fifteen he be- 



91 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



came an apprentice in the office of the 
Clifton Springs "Press." Later the paper 
was placed in the hands of trustees who 
made Mr. Redfield the editor and pub- 
lisher despite the fact that he was then 
only eighteen years of age. The sequel 
proved, however, that their confidence 
was not misplaced, the youth giving evi- 
dence from the first of the possession of 
qualities which fitted him for the difficult 
positions to which he was assigned. 

In 1885 Mr. Redfield's brother, Judd 
Hamilton Redfield, was employed by the 
Brooklyn "Eagle," and the following year 
he also went into the composing room of 
that paper. The brothers remained there 
until 1893, when they founded their pres- 
ent business by opening a small job print- 
ing office. Very soon they began to do 
work for advertising men, that being the 
time when advertisers were first awaken- 
ing to the possibilities of artistic, yet 
forceful, typography. The firm of Red- 
field Brothers not only had a thorough 
practical knowledge of the technique of 
the printer's art, but they also possessed 
originality and that indefinable faculty, 
taste, artistic perception as applied to 
typography. The superiority of their 
work along these lines quickly brought 
them a volume of business which has ever 
since been steadily augmented, until to- 
day it is safe to say that the company, 
doing a business of upward of a million 
dollars a year, is among the half-dozen 
leaders in the business in the United 
States. It soon came to pass that periodi- 
cals were brought to them, and it was not 
long before they were among the largest 
printers of magazines. For a long time 
they printed the "International Studio," 
"Life" and other publications of that 
class, also doing fine catalogue work. In 
1917 Redfield Brothers was consolidated 
with the Kendrick-Odell Press and the 
name changed to Redfield-Kendrick-Odell 



Company. Map-making was taken up at 
that time, and here their originality again 
came into play, for they introduced new, 
soft colorings, which in their harmonious 
combinations make their map-work un- 
questionably the most beautiful now pro- 
duced. They number among their cus- 
tomers many of the largest users of print- 
ing in America. 

The company's plant was at first situ- 
ated at No. 73 Warren street, New York 
City, and when more spacious quarters 
were demanded they moved to Park place, 
their next migration being to No. 411 
Pearl street. There they remained about 
ten years, removing in 1907 to their pres- 
ent fine quarters in the Scribner building 
at No. 311 West Forty-third street. A 
detailed description of their equipment 
would be superfluous. It is enough to 
say that it comprises the latest and most 
modern machinery necessary for the pro- 
duction of the highest class of printing 
and engraving. Five years ago the com- 
pany purchased the publication known as 
"Newspaperdom," which they have 
greatly improved, causing it to be recog- 
nized as one of the best class publications 
in the United States. 

In all that concerns the welfare and 
progress of his home town of Greenwich 
Mr. Redfield has ever maintained the live- 
liest interest. He was one of the organ- 
izers of the Putnam Trust Company of 
Greenwich and has since occupied a seat 
on its board of directors. He is a trustee 
of the Greenwich Hospital and the Bruns- 
wick School of Greenwich. 

The love of the open, which is one of 
Mr. Redfield's marked characteristics, has 
led him to become the owner of a farm 
at the top of Round Hill, in the town of 
Greenwich, where he has built one of the 
beautiful houses of that section. About 
twenty-five acres are devoted to general 
farming, and he has productive orchards, 



92 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



a herd of fine cattle and much first-class 
poultry. Riding and golf are among his 
favorite recreations. Mr. Redfield is a 
member of the Greenwich Country Club, 
the Field Club of Greenwich, and the In- 
dian Harbor Yacht Club, also of Green- 
wich. He was for a long time a member 
of the New York Yacht Club. 

Mr. Redfield married, September 9, 
1908, Lydia Pearson, widow of James 
Clifton Pearson, of Wakefield, Massachu- 
setts, and daughter of Albert Judd 
Wright, of the well known firm of Wright 
& Potter, State printers of Boston. Mrs. 
Redfield was the mother of four children. 
Mr. and Mrs. Redfield are members of the 
Christian Science church. 



REDFIELD, Robert Latimer, 

Lawyer, Author. 

One of the foremost lawyers of New 
York City, and an acknowledged leader 
in his profession, Robert Latimer Red- 
field, of the firm of Hill, Lockwood, Red- 
field & Lydon, has achieved more than 
temporary fame. He will be known to the 
generation succeeding him through the 
legal works of which he is the author and 
editor. Mr. Redfield descends from a 
long line of courageous pioneers of New 
England. The family has not been traced 
in England, and the name has undergone 
many changes in spelling as was common 
with many of the early surnames. 

(IV) Peleg Redfield, son of Theophilus 
and Priscilla (Greenel, or Grinnell) Red- 
field (q. v.), was born April 2, 1723. In 
1756 he was appointed second lieutenant, 
10th Company, 2nd Connecticut Regi- 
ment, raised for campaign against the 
French. In 1758 he served as first lieu- 
tenant of the same regiment. In the 
spring of 1759 he was commissioned cap- 
tain and took command of ninety men 
which he had raised in and about Killing- 



worth. This company formed part of the 
2nd Regiment under Colonel Nathan 
Whiting. They participated in the cam- 
paign against Ticonderoga, and in 1760 
Peleg Redfield again saw active service 
with the same company and regiment, 
participating in the military operations 
which closed with the surrender of Mon- 
treal. Upon his return he became ill with 
smallpox in Albany, and died on his jour- 
ney home near Stockbridge, Massachu- 
setts, December 5, 1760. He married, 
April 25, 1744, Sarah Dudley, daughter of 
Ebenezer and Elizabeth (Graves) Dudley, 
of Guilford. 

(V) Beriah Redfield, son of Peleg and 
Sarah (Dudley) Redfield, was born No- 
vember 21, 1745. His early life was spent 
in Killingworth, and later he resided in 
Richmond, Massachusetts, where he was 
a farmer on an extensive scale. On 
November 5, 1770, he married Dorothy 
Stevens, daughter of Thomas and Doro- 
thy (Parker) Stevens, of Killingworth, 
and in the spring of 1816 he removed to 
Junius, Seneca county, New York, where 
he died June 4, 1819. 

(VI) Captain Luther Redfield, son of 
Beriah and Dorothy (Stevens) Redfield, 
was born in Richmond, Massachusetts, 
November 26, 1780. He married, May 19, 
1803, Mary Dryer, born March 3, 1781, 
died May 7, 1853, daughter of John and 
Kezia (French) Dryer. In January, 1806, 
he removed to Junius, Seneca county, 
New York, then a wilderness. He be- 
came an active and substantial citizen. 
He made his first journey to Junius on 
foot and returned to Massachusetts the 
same year. The year following he 
brought his wife and two children to 
Junius, with his household effects, and 
purchased and cleared a large farm. Dur- 
ing the War of 1812 he was captain of 
the town militia, and upon the landing of 
the British soldiers at Sodus in June, he 



93 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



and his soldiers were summoned to the 
defense of that place. For nearly a half 
century Captain Redfield was a deacon 
and elder of the Presbyterian church. 

(VII) Luther (2) Redfield, son of Cap- 
tain Luther (1) and Mary (Dryer) Red- 
field, was born in Junius, New York, July 
I, 1815, and later removed to Clyde, New 
York. In 1849 ne removed to New York 
City and became a dealer in grain and 
provisions, continuing until 1871. In the 
latter year he removed to Tarrytown, 
where he became president of the village. 
During this period he became associated 
with the First National Bank, of Tarry- 
town, and finally became its president. 
He married, in Clyde, August 1, 1836, 
Eliza Ann Angell, daughter of Amasa and 
Mary (Ward) Angell, and his death oc- 
curred September 9, 1878. 

(VIII) Amasa Angell Redfield, son of 
Luther (2) and Eliza Ann (Angell) Red- 
field, was born in Clyde, New York, May 
19, 1837. At an early age he removed to 
New York City, and after attending 
school in Bloomfield, New Jersey, entered 
New York University, the class of i860, 
with which he was graduated. He began 
the study of law in the office of Austin 
Abbott, and subsequently attained an ex- 
tensive practice. He became official re- 
porter of the Surrogates Court and the 
Court of Common Pleas, serving from 
1877 to 1882. Early in life he devoted 
himself to literary work, and for many 
years contributed to the "Knickerbocker 
Magazine." He also wrote a number of 
books on legal subjects which became 
widely known and uniformly accepted as 
authorities. During the last few years of 
his life, he resided in Farmington, Con- 
necticut, where he died October 19, 1902. 
Mr. Redfield drew and put through the 
constitution of the Borough of Farming- 
ton and had it adopted by the Legislature. 
He was elected senior burgess of the 



borough, which office he held until his 
death. Mr. Redfield was a member of 
the Constitutional Convention of Con- 
necticut, and was nominated for this office 
on both tickets by his fellow-citizens. He 
was a member of the New York Bar As- 
sociation and of the Zeta Psi fraternity. 
At the time of his death he was working 
on the "Judicial History of New York." 
In his younger days he was a member 
of the West Presbyterian Church in West 
Forty-second street, New York City, and 
later became identified with St. Timothy's 
Episcopal Church. Upon his removal to 
Farmington, he became a member of the 
Congregational church there. 

In 1863, Mr. Redfield married Sarah L. 
Cooke, daughter of Robert L. and Caro- 
line (Van Deventer) Cooke, and their 
children were: 1. Robert Latimer, of 
whom further. 2. Edith, born September 
22, 1867; married, November 29, 1887, 
Frederic T. Cooper, and they have the fol- 
lowing children : Doris R., born December 
29, 1890; Helen T., born November 25, 
1893 ; Marjorie H., born February 14, 
1896. 

(IX) Robert Latimer Redfield, son of 
Amasa Angell and Sarah L. (Cooke) 
Redfield, was born July 30, 1864. At the 
age of twenty-two years he was graduated 
from Yale College with the degree of 
B. A. He studied law in the office of his 
father's preceptor, Austin Abbott, and in 
1888 was admitted to the New York bar. 
In 1890 he formed a partnership with his 
father, which continued until the latter's 
death in 1902. By the admission of Rich- 
ard P. Lydon in 1898 (now a justice of 
the New York Supreme Court), the firm 
name was changed to Redfield, Redfield 
& Lydon. In 1906 the firm was consoli- 
dated with the old firm of Lockwood & 
Hill, becoming known as Hill, Lockwood, 
Redfield & Lydon. Mr. Redfield special- 
izes in estates and probate matters. The 



94 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



last four editions of his father's work on 
the law of Surrogate's Court were writ- 
ten by him, and in 1919 Mr. Redfield 
wrote "The Descent and Administration 
of Estates." During the winter season 
Mr. Redfield lives in New York City, and 
in the summer time in Farmington, Con- 
necticut, on the estate inherited from his 
father. 

Mr. Redfield married, November 1, 
1894, Emma J. Balen, daughter of Peter 
and Mary A. (Stickney) Balen, and they 
are the parents of two sons : Robert Lati- 
mer, Jr., born July 7, 1904 ; John Alden, 
born January 1, 1907. Mr. Redfield's 
clubs are : The Yale Club of New York, 
the New York Bankers' Club, New York 
Biographical and Genealogical Society, 
the Farmington Country Club, Shuttle 
Meadow Club, Lakewood Golf Club of 
New Jersey, Cherry Valley Club of Gar- 
den City, and the New York Law Insti- 
tute. 



REDFIELD, Judd Hamilton, 

Master Printer. 

Long before coming to Greenwich Mr. 
Redfield was a well-established business 
man of New York City and now, as 
treasurer of the widely known printing 
house of Redfield-Kendrick-Odell Com- 
pany, he is prominent in his own line. 
Mr. Redfield has other business interests 
and is numbered among the most highly 
respected residents of his home city. 

(VIII) Judd Hamilton Redfield, son 
of Charles Manning and Caroline Flor- 
ence (Younglove) Redfield (q. v.), was 
born January 22, 1867, in Clifton Springs. 
He received his education in local public 
schools. At the age of fourteen he began 
to learn the printer's trade, afterward fol- 
lowing it as a journeyman. On attaining 
his majority, Mr. Redfield, in association 
with his brother, established an independ- 



ent business in New York City under the 
firm name of Redfield Brothers. That 
was in 1893 and two years later the busi- 
ness was incorporated under the same 
name. The firm did general jobbing and 
commercial printing, also some publica- 
tion printing, and as the years went on 
built up a strong and flourishing concern. 
In 1917 the business was consolidated 
with the Kendrick-Odell Press and the 
name changed to the Redfield-Kendrick- 
Odell Company, with Mr. Redfield as 
treasurer, that being the office which he 
had held in the firm of Redfield Broth- 
ers. The house makes a specialty of fine 
commercial and map printing, and has 
rapidly made for itself a position among 
the foremost printers of the United States. 
For a number of years Mr. Redfield was 
a member of the Board of Governors of 
the New York Printers' Board of Trade 
and was its president for one year. Mr. 
Redfield is a director of the firm of A. 
Ackerman & Son, dealers in old prints. 
In 1909 Mr. Redfield became a resident 
of Greenwich and has ever since taken a 
helpful interest in everything which in 
his judgment has a tendency to advance 
the welfare of his community. He be- 
longs to the Greenwich Country Club. 
He and his wife are members of Christ 
Protestant Episcopal Church, of Green- 
wich. 

Mr. Redfield married, November 25, 
191 1, Emily Louise Rockwood, daughter 
of George W. and Emily Louise (Wright) 
Rockwood, of Wakefield, Massachusetts, 
but originally of Ashburnham. The 
Rockwoods are an old family of English 
origin, a branch of which was early 
planted in New England. Mr. and Mrs. 
Redfield are the parents of three chil- 
dren : Judd Hamilton, Jr., born May 18, 
1913; Tyler Adams, born November 16, 
1918; and Howard Wright, born May 5, 
1921. 



95 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Judd Hamilton Redfield has helped to 
found and develop a business which has 
a national reputation, and occupies a 
place among the leading citizens of his 
community. He is entitled, beyond all 
question, to be called a truly successful 
man. 

MATHER, David Nelson, 

Business Man. 

The name of Mather can be found on 
record among the oldest English sur- 
names. In the parish records of Leigh, 
about two miles from Lowton, Lanca- 
shire, England, is found mention of Ma- 
ther baptisms as early as 1558. There 
are few names so prominently connected 
with our early New England history as 
that of Mather. The name is derived from 
math, and signifies honor or reverence. 
The motto of the Mather family, "Virtus 
vera nobilitas est," is an ample presenta- 
tion of the qualities of the family which 
in England and New England has held a 
place of conspicuous prominence in the 
history of both countries. 

The Mather family of which David Nel- 
son Mather is a worthy scion has been 
settled in Darien, Connecticut, for four 
generations. The great-grandfather of 
Mr. Mather, Joseph Mather, being the pi- 
oneer. The latter receives extended men- 
tion in the ancestry which follows. The 
old homestead in Darien is still called the 
"Old Mather Homestead," and it is one of 
the ancient landmarks which are fast dis- 
appearing. The members of this family 
have followed agricultural pursuits for 
generations : they have been producers 
and among the worthy men of their day. 

(I) Rev. Richard Mather, immigrant an- 
cestor, was born in Lowton, Winwick 
parish, Lancashire, England, in 1596, and 
died in Dorchester, Massachusetts, April 
22, 1669. He attended the public school 
in Winwick, and in the summer time 



walked four miles to school. At the age 
of fifteen years he was recommended for 
teacher of a school near Liverpool. There 
Rev. Mr. Mather remained for several 
years, and during this time was brought 
within the good influence of Aspinwall, 
and also listened with earnest attention 
to the preaching of Harrison, all of which 
seemed to instill in him a desire to enter 
the ministry. This he did, taking his 
theological studies at Oxford, and at the 
age of twenty-two years was ordained 
minister at Toxeth. There he served the 
ministry faithfully for many years. Even- 
tually, religious oppression forced him to 
leave England and he sailed on the 
"James" from Bristol, arriving in Boston, 
Massachusetts, in August, 1635. On Oc- 
tober 25, of the same year, he and his 
wife joined the Boston church. In Au- 
gust, 1636, Rev. Richard Mather settled 
in Dorchester, where he remained until 
his death. He married (first), September 
29, 1624, Catherine Holt, daughter of Ed- 
mund Holt, of Bury, England, and she 
died in 1655. She was the mother of Tim- 
othy Mather, of whom further. 

(II) Timothy Mather was born in Liv- 
erpool, England, in 1628, died in Dor- 
chester, January 14, 1684; he was the only 
one of his father's sons that grew to ma- 
turity and did not enter the ministry. He 
always lived near his father's home, and 
was a farmer. His death was caused by 
a fall while at work in his barn. Mr. 
Mather married (first) Mary Atherton, 
daughter of Major-General Humphrey 
Atherton, and they were the parents of 
six children, of whom Richard Mather is 
the next in line of descent. 

(III) Richard (2) Mather was born 
December 22, 1653, and died in Lyme, 
Connecticut, August 17, 1688. His life 
was spent in farming, and he was among 
the early settlers of Lyme. He married, 
July 1, 1680, Catherine Wise, and they 



96 




S^^o^r (>f^ (A{ctJ2L^r 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



were the parents of Captain Timothy Ma- 
ther, oi whom further. 

(IV) Captain Timothy (2) Mather was 
born March 20, 1681, and died July 25, 
1755. He married Sarah Noyes, and they 
were the parents of Rev. Moses Mather, 
of whom further. 

(V) Rev. Moses Mather was born in 
Lyme, Connecticut, February 23, 1719, 
and died in Darien, Connecticut, Septem- 
ber 21, 1806. He graduated from Yale 
College in 1739, and was a fellow of that 
institution from 1777 to 1790. Rev. Mr. 
Mather was early settled in Darien as 
pastor of a church there established in 
1740. In 1791 the degree of D. D. was 
conferred on him by the College of New 
Jersey. During the Revolutionary War 
he was subjected to many indignities at 
the hands of the Tories who were very 
numerous in that vicinity. He was made 
prisoner by them and confined for some 
time. During his imprisonment his food 
was of the worst and his surroundings 
were very poor. There was a woman, 
said to be the mother of Washington Ir- 
ving, who sent him food and clothing and 
in other ways managed to make his forced 
stay endurable. Rev. Mr. Mather mar- 
ried (first) September 10, 1746, Hannah 
Bell, and she died April 21, 1755. They 
were the parents of Joseph Mather, of 
whom further. 

(VI) Joseph Mather was born July 21, 
1753, and died February 29, 1840. He 
was known as Deacon Joseph, and was 
one of the most influential citizens of 
Darien, Connecticut. His home was back 
from the main traveled path a consider- 
able distance, and because of this fact 
was not so easily found by the British 
enemy. It was customary for many of 
the neighbors to bring their silver and 
other valuables to Deacon Mather's house 
to conceal them there until such time as 

Conn— 8— 7 



they could be carried to a better place of 
safety. In the spring of 1781 the enemy 
learned of this practice and before the val- 
uables could be taken away they came to 
the house and confiscated everything. 
Deacon Mather married, May 29, 1777, 
Sarah Scott, and she died August 27, 1843. 
They were the parents of Joseph (2) Ma- 
ther, of whom further. 

(VII) Joseph (2) Mather was born 
September 30, 1789, and died September 
27, 1864. He was a farmer and a useful 
citizen of the community. The house in 
which Joseph Mather was born is now 
the summer home of his grandson, Ste- 
phen T. Mather, who receives extended 
mention in the following sketch. For 
several terms Joseph Mather served as 
selectman ; he was originally a Whig in 
politics, and later a Republican. For 
many years he attended the Congrega- 
tional church, a consistent Christian and 
active worker of the church. On Janu- 
ary 1, 1812, he married (first) Sally Jar- 
vis, and (second) October 6, 1816, Happy 
Osborne Wakeman. His second wife 
died December 31, 1871. 

(VIII) David Banks Mather, son of 
Joseph (2) and Happy Osborne (Wake- 
man) Mather, was born in the same neigh- 
borhood, October 16, 1817, and died De- 
cember 18, 1876. In his younger days he 
was a school teacher and was also a 
farmer throughout his lifetime. He mar- 
ried, November 10, 1841, Julia Everett, 
and they were the parents of the follow- 
ing children: 1. Anna Eliza, now the 
widow of James S. Weed, of Stamford, 
Connecticut. 2* Sarah Cornelia, deceased, 
married Michael Newbauer, of New York 
City. 3. David Nelson, who receives ex- 
tended mention below. 4. Julia Louise, 
deceased, married Theodore Scofield, of 
Danbury, Connecticut. The Mather fam- 
ily were active members of the Congrega- 



97 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



tional church, and David B. Mather was 
active in church work during his lifetime. 

(IX) David Nelson Mather, son of Da- 
vid B. and Julia (Everett) Mather, was 
horn on the place he now occupies in 
Darien, Connecticut, October 23, 1852. 
He was educated in the public schools of 
his native town, and immediately after 
completing his schooling became asso- 
ciated with his father in caring for the 
home farm. After the death of the latter 
in 1876, Mr. Mather succeeded to the in- 
terests of the farm and for forty years has 
been engaged in the retail milk business 
in the village. Mr. Mather is among the 
best known citizens of Darien, and has 
always been found willing to aid in any 
of the public enterprises. For many 
years he has served as constable, which 
office he now holds. In politics he is a 
Republican, and staunchly adheres to the 
interests of that party. 

Mr. Mather married Ida Matilda Mc- 
Ewen, daughter of Daniel Chattel and 
Sarah Amelia (Sale) McEwen. Daniel C. 
McEwen was born in Paisley, Scotland, 
son of Daniel and Sarah McEwen. The 
former was eighteen years old when he 
came to America and learned the trade of 
tailor, which he followed in New York 
City until the Civil War. Mr. McEwen 
died in 1864. at the early age of twenty- 
eight years. Mr. and Mrs. Mather were 
the parents of three children: 1. Fred- 
erick Clinton, born September 21, 1876, 
now deceased. He married Murilla Louise 
Smith, and left a daughter, Mabel Pier- 
pont. 2. Florence Amelia, born Decem- 
ber 26, 1878, married Samuel Lewis Rice, 
and has one son, Clarence Chattel, born 
July 17, 1903. 3. Clarence Sale, born 
June 21, 1884, married Margaret Loretta 
Clark, and has three children : Alberta 
Ida, Marguerite Mary, and Loretta Ellen. 
Mr. Mather and his wife attend the Con- 
gregational church of Darien. 



MATHER, Stephen Tyng, 

Manufacturer, Director of National Park 
Service. 

(\ III) Joseph Wakeman Mather, son 
of Joseph (2) and Happy Osborne (Wake- 
man) Mather, whose ancestry appears in 
the preceding sketch, was born in Darien, 
Connecticut, January n, 1820. He was 
educated in the public schools and for 
some years taught in the schools of Dar- 
ien and surrounding towns. Then Mr. 
Mather went to New York City and at 
first worked in mercantile establishments, 
but soon resumed teaching, finally be- 
coming principal of one of the downtown 
grammar schools. Returning again to 
business life, he became identified with 
the old importing house of Alsop & Com- 
pany, with whom he remained a number 
of years, until 1863, when he went to 
California to assume the office of secre- 
tary of the Quick-Silver Mining Com- 
pany. There he remained a number of 
years, and for part of the time was en- 
gaged in business as a commission mer- 
chant. While in San Francisco, Mr. Ma- 
ther served as a member of the school 
board. In 1888 he returned to the East 
as representative of the California Borax 
Company, with headquarters in Wall 
street, remaining with this company until 
1897, in which year he retired. Mr. Ma- 
ther's summers were always spent in the 
home of his forefathers at Darien. He 
died there, August 21, 1905. 

One of the most interesting phases of 
his career was his membership in the 
original Fremont & Dayton Glee Club, 
which was organized for the campaign of 
1856. He had a fine tenor voice, which 
he retained in splendid volume and qual- 
ity until late in life. In politics Mr. Ma- 
ther was a Republican, and was always 
active in political matters. He was an 
attendant of the St. George Episcopal 



98 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Church in New York City, and was a 
singer in the choir of this church previ- 
ous to 1863. He married, June 27, 1864, 
in New York City, Bertha Jemima Wal- 
ker, born March 31, 1844, daughter of 
Edward and Sophia (Shedell) Walker, of 
New York City. Their children were : 
Ella Maria, deceased ; Stephen Tyng, of 
further mention ; Joseph Wakeman, born 
January 18, 1869, died February 4, 1888. 

(IX) Stephen Tyng Mather, the only 
surviving child of Joseph Wakeman and 
Bertha J. (Walker) Mather, was born 
July 4, 1867. He was educated in the 
University of California, from which he 
was graduated in 1887 with a B. L. de- 
gree. For five years subsequently he 
worked as a reporter, and from 1892 to 
1894 was associated with his father in the 
borax business. He went to Chicago in 
the interests of this business and estab- 
lished an agency there, remaining until 
1903. In the latter year he developed his 
own borax business, which is incorporated 
under the name of the Thorkildsen-Ma- 
ther Company, the same interests having 
a corporation in California known as the 
Sterling Borax Company, and since their 
organization Mr. Mather has been vice- 
president of these corporations, and since 
1894 has maintained his legal residence in 
Chicago. 

While a student at the University of 
California, Hon. Franklin K. Lane, Sec- 
retary of the Interior, was a classmate, 
and this friendship has continued through- 
out the years. He asked Mr. Mather to 
take up park work, and in 191 5 Mr. Ma- 
ther became assistant to the Secretary of 
the Interior. In 1917, when the bureau 
known as the National Park Service was 
created, Mr. Mather was made the first 
director. He has charge of nineteen Na- 
tional parks, and is responsible for their 
administration. 

Mr. Mather has taken a great interest 



in mountain climbing, and was one of the 
directors of the Chicago Geographic So- 
ciety for a number of years. He is also 
a member of the Prairie Club and of the 
Sierra Club. One of the expeditions of 
the latter club was a climb to the top of 
Mt. Rainier. Mr. Mather is a member of 
Sigma Chi, and the Golden Bear, an hon- 
orary society of the University of Cali- 
fornia, and he has been an active mem- 
ber of the City Club of Chicago since its 
organization, also serving this institution 
as vice-president. He was a member of 
the building commission that erected its 
present fine clubhouse. He is also a mem- 
ber of the University Club of Chicago ; 
the Chicago Athletic Club ; and a life 
member of the Chicago Art Institute. Mr. 
Mather has always been more or less ac- 
tive in the United Charities and served 
as chairman of its activities in the stock- 
yards' district for a number of years. He 
helped to build the House of Social Serv- 
ice. Other clubs of which Mr. Mather is 
a member are : Down Town Club of New 
York; New York Chemists', the New 
York Drug Club, and the Cosmos Club, of 
Washington, D. C. 

Mr. Mather married Jane T. Floy, 
daughter of James T. Floy, of Elizabeth, 
New Jersey, and they were the parents of 
a daughter, Bertha F. Mather. The fam- 
ily are members of the Church of the Re- 
deemer of Chicago, of which Mr. Mather 
has been vestryman for ten years. 

(The Wakeman Line). 

Mrs. Happy Osborne (Wakeman) Ma- 
ther's ancestry is equally as ancient and 
prominent as her husband's. She was 
born January 27, 1794, and died Decem- 
ber 31, 1871, a descendant of John Wake- 
man, the immigrant. 

The origin of the name of Wakeman 
has an added interest because of its great 
antiquity. It was a title originally given 



99 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



to the chief magistrate of Rippon, in York- 
shire, England, and literally signified, 
"wide-awake man." This title descended 
from father to son, and in this manner 
the surname originated. The family has 
long been settled in New England, the 
founder, John Wakeman, being listed 
among the freemen in New Haven, Con- 
necticut, as early as June 4, 1639. 

(I) John Wakeman was born about 
1598-99, in Bewdley, Worcestershire, Eng- 
land, and died in Hartford, Connecticut, 
in 1661. He was a son of Francis and 
Anna (Goode) Wakeman, of Bewdley. 
On January 28, 1628-29, John Wakeman 
married, at Bewdley, Elizabeth Hopkins, 
daughter of William and Helen (Vick- 
aris) Hopkins, baptized October 7, 1610, 
in Ribbeford Church, England, and died 
at New Haven, in 1658. 

(II) Rev. Samuel Wakeman. son of 
John and Elizabeth (Hopkins) Wakeman, 
was born, probably, in 1635, as he was 
baptized June 7, of that year, and died 
March 8, 1692, at Fairfield, Connecticut. 
He was ordained September 30, 1665, as 
second pastor of the church at Fairfield. 
His early education was obtained at Har- 
vard College. Rev. Mr. Wakeman mar- 
ried, August 28, 1656, Hannah Goodyear, 
daughter of Governor Stephen Goodyear, 
of New Haven, Connecticut, and she died 
in 1721. 

(III) Captain Joseph Wakeman, son of 
Rev. Samuel and Hannah (Goodyear) 
Wakeman, was born in 1670, and died 
December 5, 1726. He was particularly 
prominent in affairs, and was considered 
a good business man. Sufficient warrant 
of this fact is found in his will showing 
his estate at his death to be £5,000. On 
December 13, 1704, he was appointed 
lieutenant by the council (Queen Anne's 
War), and was appointed captain in Fair- 
field, in May, 1708. Captain Wakeman 
held many offices of trust and responsi- 



bility, and was held in high esteem by his 
fellow-citizens. He served as justice of 
the peace of Fairfield, and as probate 
judge and judge of the County Court. He 
was a member of the governor's council 
from 1724 to 1725, and was deputy twenty- 
eight sessions. His house, which was 
built in 1670, was for many years a land- 
mark in Fairfield. This house and that 
of his grandson were the only ones the 
British did not burn. At one time Cap- 
tain Wakeman had been kind to some pris- 
oners and it was in consideration of this 
that they spared his house. It is said 
that Captain Wakeman often wished they 
did not spare it as he was afraid his neigh- 
bors would think he was a Tory. At one 
time several British officers were quar- 
tered in his home and in one of the rooms 
they had considerable gold money. One 
of Captain Wakeman's daughters, hoping 
to save some of it, concealed a gold piece 
under each bedpost, but it was discovered. 
Captain Wakeman married, in 1697-98, 
Elizabeth Hawley, born May 6. 1679, died 
August 18, 1753, daughter of Ebenezer 
and Esther (Ward) Hawley. 

(IV) Stephen Wakeman, son of Cap- 
tain Joseph and Elizabeth (Hawley) 
Wakeman, was born in 1716, and died 
March 23, 1760. He graduated from Yale 
College in 1738, with the degree of B. A. 
On January 11, 1734, Stephen Wakeman 
married Mary Adams, born in 1717-18, 
and died August 16, 1741, daughter of 
Stephen Adams. 

(V) Jesup Wakeman, son of Stephen 
and Mary (Adams) Wakeman, was bap- 
tized September 25, 1748, and died Janu- 
ary 2, 1780. He married, at Greenfield, 
Connecticut, December 29, 1768, Amelia 
Banks, born in 1746, died December 17, 
1833, daughter of Nehemiah and Abigail 
(Bradley) Banks. 

(VI) Banks Wakeman, son of Jesup 
and Amelia (Banks) Wakeman, was born 

00 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



September 12, 1769, and died March 29, 
1835. He married (first) Happy Os- 
borne, and (second) in Fairfield, Connec- 
ticut, November 20, 1796, Eleanor Jen- 
nings, born April 28, 1776, died March 25, 
1861, daughter of Joshua Jennings. 

(VII) Happy Osborne Wakeman, a 
daughter of Banks and Happy (Osborne) 
Wakeman, became the wife of Joseph 
(2) Mather, as above noted. 



MATHER, William Francis, 

Building Contractor. 

In the death of William Francis Mather 
early in 1921 there was removed from the 
Norwalk community one of its oldest 
citizens, a man who for seventy of his 
ninety-two years followed his calling in 
this place. William Francis Mather was 
a son of Joseph (2) and Happy Osborne 
(Wakeman) Mather (q. v.), and was born 
on the old Mather homestead, May 13, 
1829. He was educated in the district 
schools, grew to manhood on the home 
farm, and remained there until 1847, 
when he was apprenticed to the carpen- 
ter's trade. For seventy years he was 
active in this line as journeyman and con- 
tractor, and his long career placed to his 
credit the building of more houses than 
have been constructed in Fairfield county 
by any other man. His four sons, all of 
whom were trained in the same trade, 
were associated with him in his opera- 
tions, and in 1851 Mr. Mather built the 
house that was his residence at the time 
of his death, a home on Five Acre lot. 
Mr. Mather was orderly sergeant in the 
Norwalk Artillery Company, and served 
three years before attaining his majority. 
He was widely acquainted and popular in 
his locality, interested in all that con- 
cerned the welfare of his fellows, and held 
by them in the respect that is always 
rendered to one who lives an upright, 



moral life. William Francis Mather died 
January 13, 1921. 

Mr. Mather married, December 30, 
1850, Emeline L. Gregory, daughter of 
George B. and Nancy (Taylor) Gregory, 
of Cranbury Plain, in the town of Nor- 
walk, Connecticut, who was born Febru- 
ary 18, 1829, and died September 27, 1912. 
Children: 1. William Joseph, born No- 
vember 27, 1851 ; married, September 10, 
1874, Fannie M. F. Hitchcock. 2. George 
Wallace, born August 31, 1855; married, 
March 12, 1881, Minerva Crabb. 3. Happy 
Isabell, born January 23, 1857; married, 
April 8, 1875, Thaddeus B. Johnson. 4. 
Charles Francis, born June 25, 1859; mar- 
ried, March 6, 1881, Jennie F. Knapp. 5. 
Edwin Lincoln, born April 22, 1861 ; mar- 
ried, August 14, 1883, Maud Platts. 6. 
Nellie Frances, born October 3, 1874. 



LEES, John A., 

Head of Important Business. 

The history of the Lees Manufacturing 
Company of Westport is a very interest- 
ing one. It is not only the oldest business 
enterprise of that town, but there have 
been four generations of the Lees family 
at the head of its management continu- 
ously. The present plant stands on the 
same site as the original. The plant was 
started in 1814 in the face of much local 
opposition and doubt as to its feasibility. 
An interesting item in the contract for 
the original building was the stipulation 
that in raising the frame, the building 
committee should supply one gallon of 
West India rum and three gallons of 
elderberry brandy. The mill started with 
fifteen employees, and the depression fol- 
lowing the War of 1812 made the enter- 
prise unprofitable. It sustained a pre- 
carious existence until 1834, when Joseph 
Wood and Robert Raymond rented the 
mill and operated it for four years. From 



101 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



1838 to 1843 the enterprise lay dormant, 
and in the latter year John Lees took it 
in hand. 

John Lees was the founder of his fam- 
ily in America. He was born in Glhn- 
clonch, township of Preswick, County 
Lancashire, England, in 1786, and sailed 
from Liverpool, England, February 20, 
1810, landing in New York City the fol- 
lowing April. He was a man of skill and 
enterprise, and infused new life into the 
business when he assumed its manager- 
ship in 1843. He spent much money and 
labor in improvements, and kept the mill 
running all the time on a paying basis. 
After fifteen years of faithful endeavor, 
the warnings of age made him retire, and 
in 1858 his son succeeded him. John Lees 
married, at the Friends Meeting, August 
5, 1812, Martha Comstock. Their son, 
Thomas Robert Lees, is mentioned be- 
low. 

Thomas Robert Lees was born in Hol- 
den, Massachusetts, and died in Westport, 
Connecticut. After succeeding his father 
as the head of the mill, he continued to 
successfully manage the affairs for twenty 
years. He had practiced running the mill 
for years before he became owner, and in 
1878, when fire destroyed the mill, he 
had been a manufacturer for thirty-five 
years. Thomas R. Lees was a director of 
the Westport Savings Bank ; he was a 
Republican, and served as representative 
in the State Legislature. He married, in 
Auburn, Massachusetts, Elizabeth Clarke, 
daughter of John and Sarah (Rice) 
Clarke. They were the parents of Robert 
T. Lees, mentioned below. 

Robert T. Lees became president and 
treasurer at the time the business was in- 
corporated in 1881. The capital was 
$25,000, afterwards increased to $50,000, 
and the work of rebuilding on the old site 
began. The new factory of stone and 
brick, in every way larger and more com- 



modious than the old one, was completed 
in ninety days. It was equipped with the 
latest and most improved machinery, and 
in this respect the equipment has always 
been kept abreast of the latest develop- 
ments. Robert T. Lees was accustomed 
to work in his father's factory at the 
early age of twelve, and obtained by prac- 
tical experience a thorough knowledge of 
every detail of the business. In 1874 he 
entered the commission house of Lees 
& Kelly, and for six years traveled over 
the entire country as their representative. 
He married Lucy P. Lees. Robert T. 
Lees died September 19, 1913. 

John A. Lees, son of Robert T. Lees, 
was born in Brooklyn, New York, Janu- 
ary 21, 1875. He attended school there. 
He was ten years of age when he came 
to Westport, Connecticut, and six years 
later entered the plant of the Lees Man- 
ufacturing Company. Mr. Lees began 
at the very bottom and learned each de- 
tail of the business, preparing himself for 
the time when he would be at its head. 
His father was his able preceptor, and 
in 1905 John A. Lees had progressed suf- 
ficiently to hold the office of secretary and 
general manager. The company's prod- 
ucts consist of cotton cordage, twines, 
wicks, yarns, braided goods, glazed and 
polished twines and threads. The factory 
buildings include a large modern dye 
plant for coloring its twines, threads and 
yarns. The products are shipped to all 
parts of the world under its well known 
registered trade-marks — "La Favorita" 
and "Octagon" brands. The company's 
water power is drawn from the beautiful 
Saugatuck river, the mill being located 
on the banks of one of its tributaries. The 
recent purchase of an additional factory 
site and brick building in Norwalk, Con- 
necticut, will afford the company a sub- 
stantial increase in its production. The 
Lees family has always owned control of 



102 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



the company, and at the present time the 
business of the Lees Manufacturing Com- 
pany is headed by John A. Lees, who is 
of the fourth generation of the family. 

Fraternally, John A. Lees is a member 
of Temple Lodge, No. 65, Ancient Free 
and Accepted Masons ; Pyramid Temple, 
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Bridge- 
port, and the Ancient Accepted Scottish 
Rite ; Lafayette Consistory, Sublime 
Princes of the Royal Secret, thirty-second 
degree, Bridgeport; also Clinton Com- 
mandery, No. 3, Knights Templar, Nor- 
walk, Connecticut. He is a member of 
the Saugatuck Congregational Church, 
and was a member of the church com- 
mittee. In 1913 Mr. Lees purchased a site 
in the Catskill mountains where he built 
a summer home and spends part of each 
summer with his family. 

Mr. Lees married Margaret J. Sniffen, 
daughter of Joseph M. Sniffen, of West- 
port, Connecticut, and is the father of two 
children: Ruth A., born September 1, 
1899, and John A., Jr., born September 
28, 1905. 



WOOD, Walter C, 

Surgeon. Farmer. 

Success in the healing art is usually at- 
tended with material reward, but such a 
reward is an incident and not the goal of 
the right-minded physician. In his devo- 
tion to relieving the ills of humanity, Dr. 
Walter C. Wood won a prominent place 
among the surgeons of the East, but at a 
price little short of his own physical well- 
being. He was compelled to give up the 
practice of the profession he dearly cher- 
ished and to go back to nature to regain 
his health. He took up agriculture and 
stock-raising in the same thorough, stu- 
dious manner that he had given his pro- 
fession, with the result that he has 



achieved notable success in his new voca- 
tion and restored his health besides. 

(I) Jonathan Wood, one of Dr. Wood's 
early ancestors, was born in Ridgefield, 
Connecticut. He married Elizabeth Mun- 
son, and they were the parents of Dr. 
Ezekiel Wood, of whom further. 

(II) Dr. Ezekiel Wood, son of Jona- 
than and Elizabeth (Munson) Wood, was 
a surgeon in the Continental army, and 
died at West Point, in 1781. 

(III) David Wood, son of Dr. Ezekiel 
Wood, was a Revolutionary soldier, and 
the Christian name of his wife was Prin- 
cess. 

(IV) Asahel Wood, son of David and 
Princess Wood, was born in Westhamp- 
ton, in 1796, and died in Northampton, in 
1876. For many years he ran a section 
of the stage line between Boston, Massa- 
chusetts, and Albany, New York. He 
married Louisa Clapp, born in 1796, died 
in 1880, daughter of George and Abigail 
(Burt) Clapp. On the maternal side Mrs. 
Wood descended from the earliest settlers 
of Northampton, Massachusetts, and also 
from Henry Burt, who came to this coun- 
try from England in 1633 ; in 1640 he was 
settled in Springfield, Massachusetts, 
where he died in 1662. Mr. and Mrs. 
Asahel Wood were the parents of the 
following children: George Clapp; Aus- 
tin, of Syracuse ; Andrew Spencer, of 
further mention ; Cornelius Delano, of 
Brooklyn ; Maria, wife of Lyman N. 
Clark, for many years editor of the New 
York Times "News Letter," now residing 
in Westfield, Massachusetts ; and Asahel 
Frank, of Washington, D. C. 

(V) Andrew Spencer Wood, son of 
Asahel and Louisa (Clapp) Wood, and 
father of Dr. Wood, was born in 1825, in 
Northampton, Massachusetts, where he 
died in 1881. He was educated in the 
public schools, and learned the drug busi- 

103 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



ness. For some time he was engaged in 
this business in Northampton, later going 
to Montreal, Canada, where he was in 
the wholesale woodenware business for 
seventeen years, under the name of Nel- 
son & Wood. 

Mr. Wood married (first) Catherine N. 
Burnell, of Chesterfield, Massachusetts, 
and she died in 1856. He married (sec- 
ond) Lois P. Lyman, a daughter of 
Captain Otis Childs, of Conway, Massa- 
chusetts, and adopted daughter of Asahel 
Lyman. Andrew S. and Lois P. (Ly- 
man) Wood were the parents of six 
children, four of whom grew to maturity: 
1. Winthrop H., died in infancy. 2. 
Katie, died aged three years. 3. Walter 
C, of further mention. 4. Albert S., died 
while on a business trip, and was buried 
at sea. 5. Clarence D., born in 1871 ; he 
died in Brooklyn, unmarried, in 1901. 6. 
Lyman P., twin with Clarence D. ; he 
married Mary Putney, of St. Johnsbury, 
Vermont, and died in 1919, in Atlanta, 
Georgia. 

(VI) Walter C. Wood, son of Andrew 
Spencer and Lois P. (Lyman) Wood, was 
born August 4, 1864, m Northampton, 
Massachusetts. He was educated at 
Graylock Institute, South Williamstown, 
Massachusetts, and at the Northampton 
High School. He graduated from Am- 
herst in 1886 with the degree of Bachelor 
of Arts, and from the College of Physi- 
cians and Surgeons of New York City in 
1889 with the degree of Medical Doctor. 
The subsequent eighteen months were 
spent in Bellevue Hospital, and from 
the beginning Dr. Wood specialized in 
surgery. For a period of twenty years he 
practiced very successfully in Brooklyn, 
New York. He was surgeon to the 
Brooklyn Hospital for fifteen years, and 
professor of surgery at the Long Island 
College Hospital for seven years, and 
for twelve years surgeon at St. Mary's 



Hospital. In the years Dr. Wood spent 
in the work of his profession, he furnished 
an exemplification of the highest virtues 
of his calling, his career being one of 
ability and usefulness. Dr. Wood's health 
became undermined and he retired from 
his practice on this account about six 
years ago. Previous to this time he had 
purchased a summer home at New Ca- 
naan, Connecticut, and after his retire- 
ment he purchased what was known as 
the old Jones Farm on High Ridge road in 
North Stamford, adjoining the town of 
New Canaan. It is in the development 
of this farm that Dr. Wood has engaged 
to regain his health. He has about three 
hundred acres of land, and specializes in 
hogs and cattle. He has between fifty and 
sixty Holsteins, all registered or eligible 
to registration, and produces about eight 
thousand quarts of milk annually, which 
is sold at wholesale. His hogs are Berk- 
shires, and large general farm crops are 
raised for consumption on the farm. 

Dr. Wood is a Republican in politics, 
and while actively interested in all public 
measures does not seek to hold office. 
He is a member of Alpha Delta Phi fra- 
ternity; of the New York Academy of 
Medicine ; the American Medical Associ- 
ation ; the New York Surgical Society; 
the Brooklyn Surgical Society, and presi- 
dent of the Connecticut State Farm Bu- 
reau Federation. 

Dr. Wood married Ellen Davis, daugh- 
ter of Theodore R. and Maria E. (Hale) 
Davis, the former of New Haven, Con- 
necticut, and Brooklyn, New York. Dr. 
and Mrs. Wood were the parents of a 
daughter, Eleanor Childs, and she mar- 
ried Raymond L. Thompson, of Hartford, 
and has one daughter, Harriet. With his 
wife, Dr. Wood attends the Congrega- 
tional church in New Canaan, of which 
he is also a trustee. 
104 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



BISHOP, Hubert E., 

Public-Spirited Citizen. 

The name of Bishop belongs to a class 
of names the origin of which is most in- 
teresting. Writers on the subject of pa- 
tronymics usually dispose of it briefly 
by saying that Bishop is one of those 
names derived from office, rank or posi- 
tion ; but this does not explain how bish- 
ops who in England were celibate in the 
centuries following the Norman Conquest 
could pass on the designation of their ec- 
clesiastical rank as family names to 
descendants. In those early times the 
masses were illiterate. They were in- 
structed or entertained by plays which 
must necessarily deal with subjects 
within the purview of their knowledge ; 
hence the themes of their plays were 
usually political or religious ; the Passion 
play is a survivor of that type. The char- 
acters in the plays represented dignitaries 
of the church or State and the men who 
played the various roles became known in 
every-day life among their village friends 
as Bishop, Priest, King, and so forth. In 
course of time, as surnames were being 
adopted, it was quite natural for families 
to assume as their surnames the title of 
the part in the folk-play acted by the head 
of each family. 

The progenitor of the Connecticut fam- 
ily of Bishop was John Bishop, born in 
England about 1600. He was one of the 
twenty-five immigrants who come with 
Rev. Henry Whitfield's company from 
England and founded Guilford, Connecti- 
cut, and his name was signed second to 
the Plantation Covenant made on ship- 
board, June 1, 1639. 

(I) Benjamin Bishop, the first known 
of the family of Hubert E. Bishop, was 
born in Fairfield county, Connecticut, and 
passed his life in the town of Norwalk, 
where he followed the occupation of 



blacksmith. He married Mary Camp, 
born September 10, 1775, daughter of 
Isaac and Rhoda (Keeler) Camp. His 
father was Captain Jonathan Camp, 
born December 17, 1712, died August 
20, 1768. He married Ann Piatt, born 
in 1710, died November 5, 1749, daugh- 
ter of Richard and Hester Piatt, and 
a descendant of Richard Piatt, who 
came to New Haven, Connecticut, in 1638. 
The father of Jonathan Camp was Samuel 
Camp, who was born September 15, 1655, 
and his will was made May 10, 1688. He 
married, November 13, 1672, Hannah 
Betts, born November 22, 1652, daughter 
of Thomas and Mary Betts. Thomas 
Betts was born in England in 1615-16, and 
was one of the original settlers of Guil- 
ford. He located in Norwalk in 1660, and 
his will was executed, May 10, 1688. 
Samuel Camp was a son of the immigrant, 
Nicholas Camp, who married Sarah 
Beard, daughter of the Widow Martha 
Beard, whose husband is supposed to 
have died on the voyage to this country. 
The first Nicholas Camp lived in the town 
of Nasing, County Essex, England, and 
came to this country with his son, Nich- 
olas Camp, Jr. The latter married, in 
1652, Catherine Thompson, of New 
Haven, Connecticut. They were the an- 
cestors of Mary Camp, who became the 
wife of Benjamin Bishop, as above noted. 
Benjamin Bishop was "raised" in St. 
John's Lodge, No. 6, Ancient Free and 
Accepted Masons, of Norwalk, in 1809. 

(II) George Galpin Bishop, son of Ben- 
jamin and Mary (Camp) Bishop, was 
born in Ridgefield, Connecticut, in 1803, 
and died August 10, 1888. During his 
youth he learned the trade of hatter, 
which he followed for some years. He 
was very observant in the methods of 
making hats, and before he had been 
many years in the business, invented a 
process for making what was known as 



105 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



felt cloth. He formed a company for the 
manufacture of the product, and in 1838 
the company was incorporated under the 
name of the Union Manufacturing Com- 
pany. This company had the unique dis- 
tinction of being the first company in- 
corporated in the State, and it was neces- 
sary to pass a special law to authorize it. 
The coming on of the Civil War at this 
time brought a great many new companies 
into existence, owing to the demands for 
blankets and other woolen goods, and nat- 
urally, a large amount of "shoddy goods" 
were manufactured. It was impossible 
to compete with the low prices and as a 
result Mr. Bishop's company began the 
manufacture of thread goods. This was 
a successful and profitable business until 
the passing of the Wilson Tariff Bill 
which took away the profit on woolen 
goods. Soon after this time Mr. Bishop 
retired from active business. He was 
among the most beloved citizens of Nor- 
walk, and at his death was sincerely 
mourned. In politics he was a Democrat, 
and was ever willing to give of his time 
or finances to the furthering of any move- 
ment for the general welfare. He mar- 
ried Julia A. Taylor, daughter of Benja- 
min Taylor, and she died June 6, 1850. 

(Ill) Adolphus Fitch Bishop, son of 
George Galpin and Julia A. (Taylor) 
Bishop, was born in Norwalk, Connecti- 
cut, and educated in the public schools. 
Early in life he entered the Bishop Felt 
Mills and learned the business in every 
detail. He mastered all of the processes 
and for some time was superintendent 
of the company, later becoming president, 
which office he held as long as he lived. 
He was a director of the National Bank 
of Norwalk. Mr. Bishop married Julia 
Carter, and they were the parents of two 
sons: William Marcus, deceased; Hubert 
E., of further mention. The family at- 



tended St. Paul's Episcopal Church, of 
Norwalk. 

(IV) Hubert E. Bishop, son of Adol- 
phus Fitch and Julia (Carter) Bishop, 
was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, March 
8, 1869. He was educated in Dr. Sel- 
leck's school and also attended a school 
conducted by his uncle, Alexander John- 
ston, afterwards a member of the faculty 
in Princeton College. Mr. Bishop com- 
pleted his formal education in Williston 
Seminary in East Hampton, Massachu- 
setts, and then spent several years in 
travel. He has traveled extensively in 
Great Britain. Europe and Africa as well 
as in this country. In 1904, Mr. Bishop 
formed a partnership with Samuel Lynes, 
a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in 
this work, under the firm name of Bishop 
& Lynes, to engage in the coal and wood 
business and mason's supplies. They are 
among the prominent business men of 
Norwalk. Mr. Bishop is a life member 
of the Norwalk Hospital and a director 
of that institution. He gave the land on 
which the Carnegie Library stands, and 
this is but one of the instances which 
prove his public-spiritedness. 

Fraternally, he is a member of St. 
John's Lodge, No. 6, Ancient Free and 
Accepted Masons ; Washington Chapter, 
Royal Arch Masons ; Clinton Comman- 
dery, No. 3, Knights Templar ; Lafayette 
Consistory, Sublime Princes of the Royal 
Secret; and Pyramid Temple, Ancient 
Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic 
Shrine. For fourteen years Mr. Bishop 
served as secretary and is still a director 
of the Public Library. He is a member 
of the Norwalk Club, the Norwalk Coun- 
try Club, the Woodway Country Club, the 
Westport Country Club, and golf and 
travel are his principal recreations. In 
politics he is a Republican, and in 1914 
was a member of the State Senate, serv- 



106 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



ing as chairman of the committee on mil- 
itary affairs. 

Mr. Bishop married, in 1903, Alice Bart- 
lett Cram, daughter of George W. Cram, 
and the Cram genealogy appears in con- 
nection with the sketch of Mr. Bishop's 
brother-in-law, Dr. George E. Cram, of 
Norwalk. 



KEMPER, Charles H., 

Manufacturer, Public Official. 

Closely identified with the leather in- 
terests of Connecticut, and justly ranked 
among the leading citizens of Westport, 
Charles H. Kemper was born there May 
7, 1865. 

(I) John Kemper, the first of the line 
herein followed, was born in Holland. 
He came to New York City in his early 
life, and enlisted at about the age of 
twenty-one years in the Revolutionary 
War, and received a pension for his serv- 
ices. It is here interesting to note the 
origin of the name of Kemper, which is 
from the old English, meaning a soldier. 
It is derived from the Saxon, to kemp, or 
combat. In many places in England this 
name is retained in its original form even 
to the present time, and a football match 
is spoken of as a kemping, and thus in 
the Saxon, a Kemper signifies a combat- 
ant, a champion, a man-at-arms. The fol- 
lowing is a record of the military services 
of John Kemper: From August, 1777, to 
the spring of 1779, he was wagon master 
under Captain James Mearrs Clothier, 
general of the army; in May, 1779, he en- 
listed for six months as first midshipman 
under Captain Montgomery on the ship, 
"General Greene." In the spring of 1780 
he enlisted for six months as midshipman 
with Captain Stephen Decatur on the 
brig, "Fair America," and in the spring 
of 1781 he enlisted for six months as mid- 
shipman under Captain James Stover on 



the brig, "Hector." He was captured by 
the British ship, "Iris," and imprisoned in 
New York and in Mill Prison, England, 
until the spring of 1782. In that year he 
escaped and obtained passage to the West 
Indies, finally arriving in Philadelphia in 
November, 1782. After the war, he set- 
tled in Hudson, New York, where he died 
August 11, 1842, in the ninety-third year 
of his age. He married Elizabeth Ann 
Hopper, and their children were : Sophia, 
married a Mr. Willard ; Daniel, married 
Elizabeth Van Valkenburg; Charles Mor- 
ton, of whom further; John, married Eliza 

; Jane, married Samuel Crossman; 

Elizabeth, married Samuel Mason. 

(II) Charles Morton Kemper, son of 
John and Elizabeth Ann (Hopper) Kem- 
per, was born in 1791, and died in 1868. 
He was a very prominent business man 
of Hudson, New York, where he had a 
slaughter house and a candle and soap 
factory. His last years were spent in 
Westport with his son, Charles H. Kem- 
per. Charles M. Kemper married Cather- 
ine Maxwell, daughter of Anthony Max- 
well. She died in 183 1, aged thirty-four 
years. 

Anthony Maxwell, father of Catherine 
(Maxwell) Kemper, was born in Scot- 
land, December 12, 1754, and died in Hud- 
son, New York, May 24, 1825. He was 
about seven years old when his father, 
William Maxwell, and his wife, brought 
their family to America. They located 
first in New York City. William Max- 
well was the younger scion of a noble 
family. He enlisted in 1777; was made 
sergeant, May 1, 1777, and the following 
July was made ensign. On February 28, 
1778, he was commissioned second lieu- 
tenant, and on April 24, 1779, first lieu- 
tenant, and the same year received his 
commission of captain. He also served 
in Captain John Sanford's company, Gen- 
eral Malcolm's regiment, one of the six- 



107 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



teen regiments in the Continental service 
officered by General Washington, and not 
belonging to the line of any particular 
State and credited to New York. An- 
thony Maxwell married Eva Platner, 
daughter of Henry and Katharine (Best) 
Platner. Henry Platner was born in Hol- 
land in 1731, and died in 1804. He com- 
manded a company in the militia of Al- 
bany, New York, and in May, 1775, the 
company was enlisted for the defense of 
the Colony. On February 25, 1778, 
Henry Platner was promoted to first lieu- 
tenant. 

(Ill) Charles Henry Kemper, son of 
Charles Morton and Catherine (Maxwell) 
Kemper, was born in Hudson, New York, 
July 22, 1817, and died October 22, 1896, 
in Westport, Connecticut. At the age of 
sixteen he apprenticed himself to a man 
named Pinkham in Hudson, and learned 
the trade of sailmaker. In 1835 he acci- 
dentally shot his right hand through the 
palm and this made it impossible for him 
to use the sailmaker's "palm" and he had 
to give up his trade. The same year he 
located in Westport, Connecticut, and 
learned the leather business with his 
uncle, Daniel Kemper, who was already 
in business there as a tanner. The factory 
of which Daniel Kemper was the man- 
ager, was built in 1835 by R. & H. Haight, 
of New York, and in 1855 was sold to 
Charles H. Kemper. The latter estab- 
lished the business of which his son is 
now the head, and made a specialty of 
fancy leather for hatters. A large and 
very successful business was built up, and 
Mr. Kemper continued active in its man- 
agement until his death. 

Mr. Kemper was a Democrat in politics, 
and for two terms represented his party 
in the State Legislature. Mr. Kemper 
also served as a member of the Board of 
Selectmen for several years, and was 
among: the useful citizens of his com- 



munity. He was a leader among the Uni- 
versalists in a day less tolerant than the 
present in religious matters and when it 
required a good deal of courage to espouse 
a denomination then so unpopular. 

Mr. Kemper married Caroline Matilda 
Smith, daughter of Cornell Smith, and 
they were the parents of eight children. 

(IV) Charles H. Kemper, son of 
Charles Henry and Caroline Matilda 
(Smith) Kemper, was educated in the 
public schools and in a private academy. 
When he was twenty-one years old he 
took a position teaching school, contin- 
uing for two years, at the end of which 
time he entered the factory of his father 
to learn in detail the practical side of 
leather making. In 1893 the old plant 
was sold and the present one on River- 
side avenue purchased. The product is 
still fancy leathers, but in variety the 
product has broadened greatly beyond the 
lines made for hatters, including hatters 
leathers which are sold direct to the hat- 
ting trade. They also make lines for fine 
book binding and so forth. A representa- 
tive is maintained in New York and also 
in Chicago with a salesroom. In 1913 the 
business was incorporated under the name 
of The Charles H. Kemper Company, 
with Mr. Kemper as president, and his 
son, Charles M. Kemper, as treasurer, 
and John A. Kimber as secretary. It is 
the oldest business of its kind in the 
United States and one hundred or more 
are employed. Mr. Kemper has been a 
member of the Westport School Board 
for twelve years, and in many other ways 
is active in the public life of Westport. 

Mr. Kemper married Carrie Louise 
Gray, daughter of David and Louisa 
(Burwell) Gray, of Westport, and they 
are the parents of four children: 1. Car- 
rie Louise, married W. F. Osborne, of 
Westport. 2. Edith, married John A. 
Kimber, of Westport, and has four sons, 



108 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Burwell, Nelson, Donald and Harry. 3. 
Emma S., married W. Sterling Atwater, 
and is the mother of two sons, Sterling 
and Kemper. 4. Charles Maxwell, born 
October 16, 1889, was educated in the 
Chase School, Norwalk, and in the Ste- 
vens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, 
New Jersey, and since his formal educa- 
tion was completed has been associated 
with his father in the business; he mar- 
ried Helen Prentice, and has two children, 
Doris and Charles. The family are at- 
tendants of the Episcopal church, of 
Westport, and aid in its support. 



MILLS, John Archer, 

Business Man. 

One of the oldest names to be found in 
the history of the American colonies is 
that of Mills ; it is found scattered 
throughout Maine and Connecticut. 
There have been many prominent men 
bearing this name, among whom are: 
Clark Mills, the sculptor of the statue of 
General Jackson, and Darius O. Mills, the 
philanthropist. The family of John 
Archer Mills was early settled in Con- 
necticut. His grandfather, William H. 
Mills, lived in that part of Norwalk called 
Broad River. He was a farmer, and mar- 
ried Elizabeth Archer, daughter of James 
Archer. The latter was born in England, 
and married Sarah Newcomb, daughter 
of Eleazer and Anna (McGuire) New- 
comb, born about 1788. Mr. and Mrs. 
Mills were the parents of three children, 
one of them, Daniel A., of whom further. 

Daniel A. Mills, second son of William 
H. and Elizabeth (Archer) Mills, was 
born in Norwalk, December 25, 1842, and 
died April 12, 1891. He attended the 
common schools, then learned the trade 
of stationary engineer, which he followed 
in New York City for many years, and 
during this time made his home there. 



He returned to Norwalk in the spring of 
1887, and after this time was practically 
retired from active business. Mr. Mills 
was a member of the old Volunteer Fire 
Department, and received a medal for 
thirteen years continuous service without 
missing a call, a truly remarkable record. 
He married Sarah A. Little, daughter of 
John Little, of Leeds, England, born Au- 
gust 3, 1844, died July 31, 1920. John 
Little was born November 21, 1799, and 
died March 21, 1875. He learned the 
trade of tailor and followed it in England 
until 1848. In that year he came to Amer- 
ica, and two years later was followed by 
his second wife and five children, his 
oldest son, John, having come with him, 
locating in New York City. There the 
father followed his trade until 1862, in 
which year he went to Hastings-on-the- 
Hudson. About 1864 he came to Nor- 
walk, and for a time followed his trade, 
until he went to work in Bishop's Mill. 
He married for his second wife, Mary 
Nicholson, daughter of Peter and Hannah 
Nicholson, an English woman. Mr. and 
Mrs. Daniel A. Mills were the parents of 
seven children, six of whom grew to ma- 
turity, as follows: 1. Eliza, married 
Harry A. Hendrick, of Norwalk; she died 
March 12, 1921. 2. Mary B., married 
Joseph H. Cable, of Norwalk. 3. George 
B., of South Norwalk. 4. John Archer, 
of further mention. 5. Sarah R., married 
Frederick Ridell, of Norwalk. 6. William 
H., of Norwalk. 

John Archer Mills, fourth child of Dan- 
iel A. and Sarah A. (Little) Mills, was 
born in Norwalk, August 24, 1877. He 
attended the public schools until he was 
thirteen years old and then went to work 
in the shoe department of Lounsbury & 
Mathewson. For seventeen years Mr. 
Mills gave his attention to this business, 
most of the time being located in New 
York City and Brooklyn. Such persist- 



IOQ 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



ency must surely bring its reward, and 
Mr. Mills received part of his when he 
was placed in charge of a plant in New 
York City. Sometimes a radical change 
gives a man an opportunity to realize 
whether or not he has chosen the occu- 
pation most suited to him, and in 1909 
such a change came to Mr. Mills. He re- 
ceived his start by taking a position as 
chauffeur for four years, from 1909 until 
the latter part of 1912. During this time 
he learned all about cars in general, and 
so well did the work appeal to him that 
he started in the garage business on his 
own account in 1912. After two years 
Mr. Mills gave up the garage part of the 
business and opened an auto supply store 
on Wall street, Norwalk, handling a gen- 
eral line of supplies ; the business is 
incorporated under the name of the Nor- 
walk Supply Shop, and Mr. Mills is 
president and treasurer. In 1920 he added 
a general line of hardware, paints, and 
oils to his stock of auto supplies, and this 
branch of the business has developed in 
prosperous manner. 

In politics Mr. Mills is a Republican, 
and has served as a member of the Re- 
publican town and city committees for 
some years. He has also been a delegate 
to State conventions, and has held the 
office of justice of the peace for several 
terms. Fraternally he is a member of St. 
John's Lodge, No. 6, Free and Accepted 
Masons, of Norwalk ; Washington Chap- 
ter, No. 24, Royal Arch Masons ; Im- 
proved Order of Red Men ; Benevolent 
and Protective Order of Elks, and the 
Norwalk Club. Mr. Mills is essentially 
what has been aptly termed a self-made 
man. Early in youth, with few advan- 
tages, he began to make his own way, and 
his courage, energy, and determination 
have won for him a success wholly com- 
mendable. With material prosperity has 
come that which is more difficult by far 



to acquire, high standing in his commun- 
ity, and an honored place in the regard 
of his fellow-citizens. 

Mr. Mills married Sarah Louise Hod- 
getts, daughter of Charles A. and Sarah 
Louise (Hodgetts) Hodgetts. Mr. Hod- 
getts was born in Dudley, England, while 
his wife was born in New York City of 
English parents. 



WILLSON, Thomas G., 

Member of Important Family. 

Before surnames were universally 
adopted, that is about the thirteenth cen- 
tury, there were many and varied ways 
in designating members of a family in 
order to distinguish them. One of the 
most common was to give a family a 
name similar to the location of their home, 
as At-Wood, near a wood. Another way 
was to refer to the son in the possessive 
case, as John's son and Will's son, using 
the Christian name of the father. It is 
in this latter class that the name of Will- 
son belongs, being derived from the 
Christian name Will and son. Many fam- 
ilies retained but one "1," and this fact 
has made it very difficult for the genea- 
logist and the historian to distinguish 
between descendants of the name. 

(I) The Willson family herein under 
consideration were early settled in Rhode 
Island. John Willson was born in 1650, 
and died in 1725. He married, before 
November, 1671, Mary Lyon, born in 
August, 1649, m Stamford, and died in 
1713. This John Willson was in Bedford 
and Rye, New York, at different times. 
He was the father of Samuel Willson, of 
whom further. 

(II) Samuel Willson, son of John and 
Mary (Lyon) Willson, was born in 1678. 
He came from Rhode Island in or pre- 
vious to the year 1710, settled at Rye, and 
operated a ferry between Rye and Oyster 



no 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Bay. He married Susannah Ogden, 
daughter of Joseph and Susannah Ogden, 
and she died in 1770. 

(III) Samuel (2) Willson, son of Sam- 
uel (1) and Susannah (Ogden) Willson, 
was born in 1708, and died July 2, 1756. 
He married Phebe Lyon, and she died 
January 29, 1770. Before the war Sam- 
uel Willson removed to Somers. 

(IV) Jotham Willson, son of Samuel 
(2) and Phebe (Lyon) Willson, was born 
in 1746, and died November 18, 181 1. He 
married Mary Brundage, daughter of 
James Brundage, who was born in 1754, 
and died October 31, 1800. They were 
the parents of Jotham (2) Willson, of 
whom further. 

(V) Jotham (2) Willson, son of Jo- 
tham (1) and Mary (Brundage) Willson, 
was born February 2, 1774, and died Oc- 
tober 28, 1828. He married Sarah Green, 
born in June, 1777, died August 1, 1865, 
daughter of James and Martha Green. 

(VI) James Willson, son of Jotham 
(2) and Sarah (Green) Willson, was born 
October 29, 1802, and died November 5, 
1878. He lived in Port Chester, New 
York, and surrounding territory. He 
married, February 21, 1828, Sarah Green, 
born December 28, 1796, died March 5, 
i860, daughter of Joseph Green. Joseph 
Green was born February 14, 1768, and 
died December 31, 1836. He married, 
December 25, 1790, Elizabeth Merritt, 
born March 22, 1775, and died April 12, 
1843, daughter of Daniel Merritt. 

(VII) Thomas Green Willson, son of 
James and Sarah (Green) Willson, was 
born at Greenwich, Connecticut, Febru- 
ary 21, 1836, and died November 26, 1896. 
He spent his early life on the home farm 
in Port Chester, and subsequent to his 
marriage bought a farm across the road 
from the homestead, which is now owned 
by the Blind Brook Golf Club. Mr. Will- 
son followed farming all of his life and 



always took an active interest in civic 
affairs of his community. He was a Dem- 
ocrat in politics, and served as highway 
commissioner of the town of Rye for 
eighteen years. He was also a delegate 
to several conventions. 

Mr. Willson married, February 23, 
1857, Sarah Elizabeth Smith, daughter of 
Josiah Smith, of Stamford. Mr. and Mrs. 
Willson were the parents of five children: 
1. James Green, a sketch of whom fol- 
lows. 2. George Dudley, who is de- 
ceased. 3. Jeannie, born September 8, 
1863; married Freeman H. Merritt. 4. 
Francis Finley, born September 12, 1867, 
deceased. 5. William Jay, a sketch of 
whom appears elsewhere. The Willson 
family have long been members of the 
Episcopal church. 

(The Smith Line). 

(I) Henry Smith, the immigrant ances- 
tor of the family, was born in England, in 
1619, and was early settled in Stamford, 
where he died. The name of his first wife 
is not on record, but she was the mother 
of all his children. 

(II) Daniel Smith, son of Henry 
Smith, was born in 1648, and died March 
3, 1740. He married Hannah Close 
Knapp, born March 26, 1660, died March 
29, 1721. 

(III) Joseph Smith, son of Daniel and 
Hannah Close (Knapp) Smith, was born 
in the 1600's, died March 12, 1755. He 
married Mary Cornell, and their son was 
Amos Smith, of whom further. 

(IV) Amos Smith, son of Joseph and 
Mary (Cornell) Smith, was born October 
17, 1716, and died in 1765. He married 
Sarah Blackman, who died in 1772. They 
were the parents of Lieutenant Josiah 
Smith, of whom further. 

(V) Lieutenant Josiah Smith, son of 
Amos and Sarah (Blackman) Smith, was 
born July 23, 1750, and died November 29, 



in 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



1830. He married Sarah Reynolds, born 
February 8, 1762, and died August 31, 
1849. They were the parents of Josiah 
Smith, who was born June 20, 1803, and 
died February 10, 1878. He married, 
September 22, 1830, Betsey Lockwood, 
who was born May 2, 1813, died March 
4, 1855. Their daughter, Sarah Elizabeth 
Smith, married Thomas Green Willson 
(q. v.). 



WILLSON, James Green, 

Business Man, Public Official. 

James Green Willson, son of Thomas 
Green and Sarah E. (Smith) Willson 
(q. v.), was born October 23, 1858, and 
grew to manhood in the town of Rye, 
New York. There he went to school, 
and also attended the Smith Institute, at 
Port Chester, New York. He remained 
on the home farm until 1882, and then 
moved to Greenwich, Connecticut, where 
he located on a farm of one hundred and 
eighty acres, on the Round Hill road, and 
engaged in general farming. He still re- 
sides on this farm, although outside in- 
terests take up the major portion of his 
time. He is a member of the Maher 
Brothers Corporation, and has been a 
member of its board of directors since 
1907. 

Mr. Willson is a Democrat in politics, 
and has several times been honored with 
positions of public trust and responsibil- 
ity. In 1898 he was elected first select- 
man of the town of Greenwich, and con- 
tinued in that office for eight consecutive 
years. During his term of office there 
were many thorough investigations of 
public affairs made. He was instrumen- 
tal in the removal of the almshouse from 
Round Hill to Parsonage road, which was 
the result of a strenuous fight. During 
this same time the town hall was pre- 
sented to the town of Greenwich by the 



late Robert M. Bruce, and Mr. Willson 
had the privilege and the honor of making 
the speech of acceptance on behalf of the 
town. He has since served a number of 
terms on the Town School Committee. 
Mr. Willson is a member of Acacia 
Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons ; and 
of Rittenhouse Chapter, Royal Arch Ma- 
sons. 

Mr. Willson married Harriet Husted, 
daughter of Mills Hobby Husted, of 
Greenwich, and their children are: 1. 
Henrietta, born in Greenwich, married 
Fred J. Ferguson, and they were the par- 
ents of one daughter, Jean, now deceased. 
2. Mabel, wife of Max J. C. Leuchs, and 
they have two children : Augusta, and 
John James. 3. Josephine Clark, wife of 
Dr. B. J. Sands, and the mother of three 
daughters : Esther, Josephine, and Doro- 
thy. 4. Marie G. 5. James Green, Jr., 
who served during the late World War. 
6. Hawley Griswold. Mr. Willson and 
family are members of the Episcopal 
church. 



WILLSON, WiUiam Jay, 

In Public Utility Service. 

William Jay Willson, son of Thomas 
Green and Sarah Elizabeth (Smith) Will- 
son (q. v.), was born in Port Chester, 
Rye township, New York, February 19, 
1873. Ete was educated in the public 
schools of his native town, and in 1889 
engaged in his first work in the business 
world. In that year the water-works were 
being installed in Tarrytown, New York, 
and Mr. Willson entered the employ of 
John O. Merritt, superintendent of con- 
struction. He has been identified with 
this line of work to the present time, and 
has at different times been located in 
White Plains and Greenwich. In the 
latter city he became superintendent of 
the Greenwich Water Company, in 1906, 



112 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



and the following year accepted a similar 
position in addition from the Port Chester 
Water Company. He has attained suc- 
cess in his chosen field, and has been more 
fortunate than most men for the reason 
that since accepting his first position he 
has followed similar lines. 

Mr. Willson is a Republican, and takes 
more than a passive interest in public af- 
fairs. Fraternally, he is a member of 
Acacia Lodge, Free and Accepted Ma- 
sons, of Greenwich. 

Mr. Willson married (first) July 23, 
1902, Victoria D. Sublett, of Petersburg, 
Virginia, who died June 12, 191 1. He 
married (second) Florence L. Close, born 
September 12, 1886, daughter of Peter 
Voorhis and Anna Sutherland (Thomas) 
Close (see Close line). 

(The Close Line). 

The name Close is of agricultural ori- 
gin, though intimately associated with ec- 
clesiastical usage, in which it is applied 
specifically to denote the precinct of a 
Cathedral or Abbey. Lower's "Patrony- 
mica Brittanica" defines it as follows: 
"Close, any piece of ground that is en- 
closed with hedge, wall or water." The 
word is from the Latin clausus, past par- 
ticiple of clando, and meaning closed, en- 
closed, surrounded. The spelling of the 
name has varied with the custom of the 
times and the degree of literacy of its 
writers, Cloos, Closse, Closs, Clos, Clusse, 
Cluss, being various renderings of the 
name now used as Close. 

According to Hotten's lists of emi- 
grants to America, Phettyplace Close 
came to Virginia in 1608, and was granted 
a patent of one hundred acres of land on 
the James river, in the corporation of 
Henrico, in 1626. In response to an in- 
quiry as to him, the secretary and li- 
brarian of the Virginia Historical Society, 
under date of May 29, 1908, states that 

Conn— 8— 8 I 



he has no "evidence to show whether 
Phettyplace Close (Clause) left a family. 
* * * As the name does not appear here 
later, I think that he was one of the nu- 
merous settlers who succumbed to disease 
or was killed by the Indians." The name 
of Close in New England first appears in 
the will of William Frost, of Fairfield, 
Connecticut, dated January 6, 1644, where 
one Goodman Close is mentioned as hav- 
ing one of the testator's heifers. Good- 
man Close probably died at Fairfield, 
about 1653, and left surviving him his 
widow Elizabeth and the following chil- 
dren : Hannah, Thomas, Joseph, and 
Mary. His widow afterwards married 
George Stuckey, had one child, Elizabeth 
Stuckey, and died in Stamford, Connecti- 
cut, September 4, 1656. George Stuckey 
bought land at Windsor, Connecticut, in 
1640, sold out in 1645, an d later removed 
to Stamford, Connecticut, with his step- 
children. 

According to the records, the Close 
family in New England, in 1660, consisted 
of Hannah Close, who, June 9, 1657, mar- 
ried Joshua Knapp ; Thomas Close, and 
Mary Close, who, June 26, 1668, married 
Samuel Holly. A search of the parish 
registers for County York, England, 
seems to indicate that Goodman Close 
was born in Grinton parish, where the 
family attained considerable prominence 
about 1606, came to America about 1642, 
and finally settled in Fairfield, Connecti- 
cut, where he died. He and his wife 
Elizabeth had children : Hannah, born 
about 1632; Joseph, born about 1634; 
Thomas, of whom further ; Mary, born 
about 1640. 

Thomas Close, son of Goodman Close, 
was born about 1637, an d died in Green- 
wich, Connecticut, in 1709. He settled 
permanently in Greenwich, and was one 
of the original patentees named in the 
patent granted to the town of Greenwich 

13 



1 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



by the General Assembly in May, 1665. 
He was a member of the General Assem- 
bly in 1701. His will was dated Decem- 
ber 30, 1708, and probated in 1709. He 
married, in 1669, Sarah Hardy, daughter 
of Richard and Ann (Husted) Hardy. 
Children: Sarah, born December 10, 1670; 
Hannah, born March 12, 1672; Thomas, 
born December 16, 1674 ; Joseph, of whom 
further; Benjamin, born May 18, 1679; 
Mary, born in 1682; Elizabeth, born Au- 
gust 5, 1684; Ruth, born November 1, 
1687 ; John, born April 8, 1689; and Lydia, 
born in 1690. 

Joseph Close, son of Thomas Close, 
was born November 20, 1676, and died 
October 4, 1760. He married, in 1701, 
Rebecca Tompkins, born in 1679, died 
November 13, 1761. Children: Joseph 
(2), of whom further; Elizabeth, born 
July 11, 1704; Solomon, born June 23, 
1706. 

Joseph (2) Close, son of Joseph (1) 
Close, was born September 20, 1702, and 
died January 4, 1760. He married (first) 
May 29, 1728, Eunice Hait, who died 
March 7, 1740. He married (second) 
July 26, 1744, Mary Merritt. Children, 
all by his first wife : Joseph, born July 
21, 1729; Eunice, born May 10, 1731 ; Je- 
rusha, born April 21, 1733 ; Odle, of whom 
further. 

Odle Close, son of Joseph (2) Close, 
was born October 22, 1738, and died April 
26, 1812. He was an officer in the Revo- 
lution. He married, December 16, 1756, 
Bethia Reynolds, daughter of Gideon 
Reynolds, born February 27, 1742, died 
February 17, 1832. Children: Odle (2), 
born January 11, 1758; Bethia, born May 
6, 1760; Gideon, born December 6, 1762; 
Gilbert, born March 7, 1765; Jonathan 
Odle, of whom further ; Mary, born April 
16, 1770; Tompkins, born May 11, 1772; 
Eunice, born August 12, 1774; Elizabeth, 
born July 16, 1776; Shadrach, born Feb- 



ruary 9, 1779; and Nancy, born March 17, 
1781. 

Jonathan Odle Close, son of Odle Close, 
was born December 6, 1768; married 
(first) Mary Mead, born January 10, 1775, 
died April 3, 1805; married (second) May 
21, 1806, Rebecca Lyon, born November 
10, 1765, died May 19, 1858. Children, 
all by first wife : Elizabeth, born March, 
1793; Gilbert; Horace, born 1796; Wil- 
liam ; and Jonathan Allen, of whom fur- 
ther. 

Jonathan Allen Close, son of Jonathan 
Odle Close, was born in 1802, and died 
February 10, 1875. He was a farmer, a 
Democrat in politics, and a Methodist. 
For several terms he served in the Legis- 
lature, and was also selectman for the 
town of Greenwich, as well as holding 
other minor offices. He married Mary 
Hart, of White Plains, New York, born 
in January, 1803, died January 31, 1879. 
Children : Allen Hart, of whom further ; 
Mary ; George W. ; and Martha. 

Allen Hart Close, son of Jonathan A. 
Close, was born April 26, 1829, and died 
May 8, 1904. He was educated in the 
Greenwich Academy, and lived on the 
homestead, where he followed farming 
for many years. In politics he was a 
Democrat, and held the office of justice 
of the peace and assessor. He was one 
of the organizers of the Greenwich Wa- 
ter Company. Mr. Close was of an in- 
ventive mind, and although he did not 
enter this field from a commercial stand- 
point, many of his appliances were in 
use on his own farm. He married, March 
14, 1854, Gertrude Voorhis Spencer. She 
was descended from Steven Coerte Van 
Voorhees, who came to this country in 
April, 1660, from Holland. Children: 
Jonathan Allen, born February 11, 1856; 
Jacob Voorhis, born June 19, 1859; Peter 
Voorhis, of whom further ; and Hannah 
Gertrude, born July 13, 1864. 



114 






A 



i§ 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Peter Voorhis Close, son of Allen Hart 
Close, was born December 20, i860, in 
Greenwich, Connecticut, and attended the 
public schools there and Greenwich Acad- 
emy. He learned the mason's trade and 
afterward farmed on the old Close home- 
stead at Clapboard Ridge. For the last 
twenty-five years he has carried on a build- 
ing and jobbing business in New York 
City. He married, November 18, 1885, at 
Greenwich, Anna Sutherland Thomas, 
born July 14, 1866, at New York City, died 
December 21, 1917, at Greenwich, Con- 
necticut, daughter of Daniel and Mary 
(Sutherland) Thomas. Children: 1. 
Florence Livingston, married, September 
10, 1912, William Jay Willson (q. v.). 2. 
Walter Guion, born December 3, 1888, 
married Elizabeth Hull Jones, and has 
one child, Allen Thomas, born March 8, 
1917. 3. Harold Thomas, born July 28, 
1892; he enlisted in the Twelfth Com- 
pany, C. C. A. N. G., Greenwich, Connec- 
ticut, trained at Fisher's Island and Fort 
Wright, New York, and was mustered 
into the regular army, in August, 1917. 
Afterward he was transferred to Battery 
E, Fifty-sixth Coast Artillery Corps, and 
was on the Aisne-Marne and Meuse-Ar- 
gonne fronts. In all he served twenty- 
seven months, from June 14, 1917, to Sep- 
tember 24, 1919. 



BURLEY, Captain Walter, 

Master Mariner. 

The name of Burley is an ancient one, 
having originated in England. It 
may have been derived from burler, a 
dresser of cloth, burly, boisterous, or 
compounded from bur, burgh, elevated, 
and ley, meaning untilled ground, viz., 
high and untilled ground. Burgh also 
means a fortification, a castle, and ley, 
leigh, means a field, viz., a castle on the 
field, or defense of the lowly. The vari- 



ations in spelling the name have been 
Burleigh, Borleigh, Burghly, Burghley, 
Birgeley, Burley, Berley, Birley, Burlie, 
Burle, Burlly, Bourle, Burly, Budley, 
Burdley, Berdley, Birdley, Birdly, Bodley, 
Borley, Barley, Buries, Beareley, Brally, 
Brally, Bowley, Burhely, and perhaps 
Burleson and Burlison. 

Giles Burley was an inhabitant of Ips- 
wich in 1648, and a commoner in 1664. 
Felts' "History of Ipswich" says of the 
little we learn of Gyles Budley, "he left a 
wife, Elizabeth, and children, Andrew, 
James, Giles, and perhaps John, the 
youngest, who probably died before his 
father. He was a planter, living eight 
years on Brooke street, and owning divi- 
sion lot No. 105, situated upon Great Hill, 
Hogg Island. On June 13, 1668, Good- 
wife Birdley had granted trees for one 
hundred rayles and one hundred posts. 
February 23, 1669, Rebecca, widow of 
Giles Birdley, married Abraham ffitt of 
Ipswich. Inventory of his estate 
amounted to £241 4s. 6d." 

An American branch of the family 
bears arms as follows : 

Arms — Paly of six argent and gules, on a chief 
paly six crescents all counterchanged. 
Crest — A stag's head erased gules. 

Captain Walter Burley was a son of 
Samuel Burley, grandson of Silas Burley, 
and great-grandson of Henry Burley, who 
died in February, 1776. Henry Burley's 
wife, Sarah, died in February, 1826, at the 
age of eighty-seven years. Silas Burley 
died March 14, 1833, aged seventy-one 
years, and his wife, Deborah, died Sep- 
tember 30, 1845, aged eighty-two years. 
Deborah Burley was responsible for the 
name of Dumpling Pond, North Mianus, 
town of Greenwich, in the following man- 
ner: She was noted for the excellence of 
her cooking and took great pride in her 
reputation. On one occasion when her 
husband and his farm hands came in from 



US 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OE BIOGRAPHY 



the fields late for dinner, Silas Burley 
complained that the dumplings, which 
formed a part of the meal, and which had 
been standing for some time, were water 
soaked. This remark greatly offended his 
wife, who replied that they would stay 
water soaked, and threw them in the 
pond, which thereafter was known as 
Dumpling Pond. The homestead farm 
was located on the eastern shore of this 
sheet of water. Samuel Burley was born 
on this farm, married Elizabeth Ferris, 
and died October 5, 1835, aged thirty- 
three years and two months. 

Captain Walter Burley, son of Samuel 
and Elizabeth (Ferris) Burley, was born 
October 14, 1833, on the Burley home- 
stead, and died October 10, 1909. His fa- 
ther's death occurred when he was young, 
and as a boy he became self-supporting. 
He early began to "follow the water," 
and as a young man became captain of 
a market sloop plying between Cos Cob 
and New York City. Later he owned a 
schooner, which he operated in the coast- 
wise trade, and he afterward built an- 
other vessel on the Little East river, in 
Mathews county, Virginia, and for a time 
ran her as a freighter on the river. Sub- 
sequently, he brought her North and 
sailed her in his shipping operations on 
Long Island Sound. For two years Cap- 
tain Burley was a resident of New York 
City, became a prosperous shipping mas- 
ter, and acquired a fleet consisting of a 
number of vessels, including barges and 
a steam tug. During his later years he 
operated a vessel under contract with the 
Stamford Manufacturing Company, car- 
rying their freight between Stamford and 
New York City. Captain Walter Burley 
was a well known figure in the shipping 
trade along the Sound, and during the long 
years of his active life was respected for 
his unbending integrity and for his strict, 
fair dealing. Whether sailing as master 



of his own vessel, or directing the opera- 
tions of his ships from his office, he held 
the good-will and regard of his associates. 
He was firm, very kindly in manner, knew 
the Sound as few captains did, and pos- 
sessed business instincts and qualities 
that brought him a generous measure of 
prosperity. In 1883 he retired from the 
sea and engaged in the coal business, his 
line of endeavor for the remainder of his 
active years. 

Captain Walter Burley married Hettie 
Faulkner Burger, daughter of Gabriel 
Samuel Burger, of Rye Neck, New York, 
and they were the parents of: 1. Annie, 
married Arthur Dodge, of Stamford. 
Mrs. Dodge, a trained vocalist and widely 
known as a public singer, has devoted her 
talents for many years to religious serv- 
ice, and has sung frequently in Stamford 
church choirs. Mr. and Mrs. Dodge are 
the parents of: Mary, married Nicholas 
Thiel Ficker, of New York, and has two 
children, Nicholas T., Jr., and Dorothy 
Dodge ; Hettie, died aged four years ; 
Walter Burley, married Vera Provost 
Shearer, of Stamford, and has three chil- 
dren, Elizabeth, Virginia, and Anne; Dor- 
othy, married Jarvis Ralph Harbeck, of 
Chicago. 2. Clarence A., a sketch of 
whom follows. 3. Jennie L., married 
Norton Stanley Bird, of New Haven. 4. 
Nettie, married Watson Dodge Wood- 
ward, M. D., deceased, of New York City, 
5. Edith Melvina, married Harry More- 
house. The mother of these children died 
August 15. 1898, aged fifty-six years; she 
was a member of the Congregational 
church, a woman of noble life and char- 
acter. 



BURLEY, Dr. Clarence A., 

Man of Enterprise. 

In professional practice and in agricul- 
ture, two widely separated lines of en- 



116 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



deavor, Dr. Clarence A. Burley has been 
equally successful. Entering dental prac- 
tice from business association, in 1904 he 
retired from his profession to devote him- 
self to general farming and gardening in 
his native State, and this, in connection 
with real estate operations, has occupied 
him to the present time. 

Dr. Burley is a son of Captain Walter 
and Hettie Faulkner (Burger) Burley 
(q. v.), and was born at Rye Neck, West- 
chester county, New York, February 5, 
1862. He obtained his education in the 
local public schools and finished in George 
Glendening's private school at Stamford, 
spending his summers on the water with 
his father, and when he had finished his 
scholastic training he passed six or seven 
years with Captain Burley. In 1872 he 
came to Stamford, between which place 
and New York his father operated a 
freight schooner for the Stamford Manu- 
facturing Company. In 1883 Captain 
Burley retired from the sea and Clarence 
A. Burley was associated with him in coal 
dealings until 1888. In that year Dr. 
Burley began the study of dentistry 
under the preceptorship of his brother-in- 
law, Dr. W. D. Woodward, in New York 
City, and upon the completion of his pro- 
fessional training opened an office in that 
city, and for a number of years continued 
in dental practice. 

In 1904 Dr. Burley withdrew from his 
metropolitan connections in dentistry in 
order to engage in general farming and 
large scale market gardening, an occupa- 
tion he found both congenial and remu- 
nerative. In 1916 Dr. Burley came into 
possession of the property known as the 
Enos Lockwood farm, an estate of sixty- 
three acres, and this land he cultivated 
until its close proximity to Stamford's 
residential district made its value too 
great for agricultural purposes. He then 
began its platting into building lots, and 



has since been engaged in the erection of 
attractive homes thereon, which have 
found a ready market in this pleasant cen- 
ter. Until 1917 Dr. Burley had a herd 
of about thirty cows on his farm and sold 
their milk to local dealers. 

Dr. Burley married (first) September 
21, 1892, Frances Bristol, daughter of An- 
thony Bristol, of Indianapolis, and they 
became the parents of one son, Edward 
Keith. Mrs. Burley died December 30, 
1895. Dr. Burley married (second) April 
15, 1897, Edith Lockwood, adopted 
daughter of Enos Lockwood. Dr. and 
Mrs. Burley are members of the Congre- 
gational church. 

The record of Dr. Burley as an agri- 
culturist furnishes conclusive evidence of 
the fact that the same thoughtful and in- 
telligent direction of ability and energy 
which wins success in professional life 
and in the business world renders farming 
distinctly profitable, and entitles farmers 
of his type to high places among the rep- 
resentative men of their communities. 



DOLGE, Carl Bruno, 

Manufacturer, Inventor. 

In the shaping of the career of Carl 
Bruno Dolge, there were unusual char- 
acteristics which, combined, won for him 
success, both in business and private life. 
Mr. Dolge was born in the town of Leip- 
sig, Germany, in 1847, an d died in West- 
port, Connecticut, December 2, 1916. 
After a life full of strife and activity dur- 
ing the Revolutionary War in his native 
land, he came to this country, September 
9, 1866. Possessed of natural talent as a 
wood engraver, he procured a position 
with Harper Brothers, and many of the 
best illustrations in Harper's magazines 
of that period are the product of his skill. 

In 1873 Mr. Dolge inaugurated on a 
small scale in Brooklyn a new industry, 



117 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



the manufacture of felt for piano ham- 
mers, a quality that had hitherto been 
imported, owing to the pecuniary losses 
which had until that time attended the 
then scarcely understood manufacture of 
this product in the United States. Mr. 
Dolge was the first one to overcome these 
difficulties and in a short time was pro- 
ducing a grade of felt of such excellence 
that it found ready sale on the European 
markets. In less than three years the 
Brooklyn factory proved inadequate to 
supply the constantly increasing demand 
and the plant was transferred to a small 
village in the Adirondacks, called Brock- 
et's Bridge, where can be seen today the 
immense buildings of a prosperous com- 
pany whose existence is due solely to the 
superior abilities of Carl B. Dolge. 

Through the efforts of his numerous 
employees, to whom he had endeared 
himself by his equitable and kind dealings, 
Mr. Dolge was appointed postmaster, and 
the name of the village changed by legal 
enactment to Dolgeville ; all the positions 
of honor, road commissioner, school trus- 
tee, the presidency of various commercial 
enterprises and societies were given to 
him. However, the strain placed upon his 
physical and mental powers soon became 
so great that in order to avoid fatal con- 
sequences Mr. Dolge was compelled to 
abandon these various activities and re- 
turned to Brooklyn, where in complete 
rest and quiet he for a long time tried to 
restore his shattered health. 

As soon as his health permitted hirftu 
again to engage in business, he embarked 
with a Mr. Huncke in the manufacture of 
the celebrated embalming fluid, "Utopia." 
That was in April, 1886, and although this 
new venture was entirely different from 
the business in which he had for so many 
years engaged, Mr. Dolge in a short time 
mastered all the details and soon suc- 



ceeded in bringing his embalming fluid, 
"Utopia," before the undertakers of 
America. During all his life his policy 
was to give the best article possible for 
the price charged, and on that foundation 
Mr. Dolge developed a large and suc- 
cessful business. His inventive genius 
was always active in devising new and 
improved appliances and instruments for 
the use of embalmers, among which may 
be mentioned : The atmosphere pump ; the 
extracting needle ; the arterial binders ; 
the draining tube ; the infant trocar and 
needle ; the professional wallet ; tube sup- 
porters ; graduated bottle ; hypodermic 
instrument ; leecher, etc. 

The achievement in which he took the 
most pride was the founding alone, un- 
aided, and in the face of discouraging 
opposition, of the United States College 
of Embalming. This was the dream of 
all progressive undertakers, and through 
Mr. Dolge's efforts it became a reality, 
and a place of instruction in the art of 
embalming. This Mr. Dolge accom- 
plished in opposition to friendly admoni- 
tions ; in spite of the effort of competitors 
to impede ; without any certainty of fu- 
ture pecuniary returns commensurate 
with the large investment and the expense 
of demonstrators, costly paraphernalia, 
etc. His enterprise and unswerving hon- 
esty won for him the esteem and sincere 
friendship of all with whom he came in 
contact. 

Among other valuable discoveries cred- 
ited to Mr. Dolge were the value of for- 
maldehyde as an embalming fluid, and the 
introduction of the first nonpoisonous em- 
balming fluid. In 1886, the same year in 
which Dr. Dolge became identified with 
the manufacture of embalming fluids, he 
formed a partnership with Jean D. Ben- 
der, and established the Atlantic Starch 
Works in Brooklyn. The plant was de- 



118 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



stroyed by fire in 1890; a factory site was 
then purchased in Westport and the busi- 
ness carried on there for many years. Dr. 
Dolge sold his interest in this company 
in 1892. 

So great was the attachment of many 
of his employees for Mr. Dolge that when 
he began his operations in Westport some 
of these removed there from Dolgeville. 
The business in Westport is carried on 
under the name of the C. B. Dolge Com- 
pany, and the product manufactured, dis- 
infectants, is sold direct to institutions, 
hospitals, factories, and to the retail trade 
jobbers. 

As a pastime and recreation from his 
business, Mr. Dolge took up landscape 
painting. He painted for his own pleas- 
ure and also that of his immediate friends, 
and his work has been admired and 
praised by many. One who had been 
privileged to see his paintings wrote : "It 
was indeed a rare treat to be allowed to 
inspect the many water colors and oil 
paintings which adorn his handsome 
home and fill several portfolios beside. 
Genuine love of nature is in evidence in 
every particular picture." His favorite 
sketching place was Lake George, and 
here he summered with his family for 
many years. His treatment of Lake 
George is historically, as well as artis- 
tically, a noteworthy achievement. In 
the parlor of his late home hangs a full 
length portrait of his father, one of the 
heroes of the German revolutionary 
movement, the loving work of C. B. 
Dolge. Mr. Dolge was a man of liberal 
Democratic views, most considerate to- 
wards his employees, and beloved by 
them. 

Mr. Dolge married Henrietta Slister, 
and they were the parents of two sons : 
Karl Alfred, and Arthur H., sketches of 
whom follow. 



DOLGE, Karl Alfred, 

Manufacturer. 

Karl Alfred Dolge, the eldest son of 
Carl Bruno and Henrietta (Slister) Dolge 
(q. v.), was born in 1880. He attended 
Packard's Business College in New York 
City, and then entered his father's busi- 
ness. He was soon promoted to the of- 
fice of treasurer, which position he held 
until the death of his father, in 1916. In 
the latter year Mr. Dolge became presi- 
dent, succeeding his honored father. He 
is among the leading citizens of West- 
port, and active in all public matters. Mr. 
Dolge is a member of the Westport Club ; 
the Westport Country Club, and the Old 
Colony Club of New York. 

Mr. Dolge married Betty Lloyd, and 
they are the parents of a son, Lloyd 
Dolge. 



DOLGE, Arthur H., 

Manufacturer. 

Arthur H. Dolge, youngest son of Carl 
Bruno and Henrietta (Slister) Dolge (q. 
v.), was born in Dolgeville, New York, 
May 13, 1882, and was educated there in 
the public schools. His education was 
completed at the Norwalk University, and 
soon after this time Mr. Dolge became 
associated with his father in business. 
After he had learned the details, he was 
made vice-president of the company, and 
after his father's death, he succeeded his 
brother as treasurer. Mr. Dolge now 
holds both these offices and is capably 
carrying on the responsibilities which 
have come to him. He enters ac- 
tively into the social and business life 
of Westport, and is highly esteemed 
among his fellow-citizens. He is a mem- 
ber of the Westport Country Club; the 
Westport Club, and the Old Colony Club 
of New York. 



119 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Mr. Dolge married Josephine Reeves, 
daughter of George H. Reeves, of Brook- 
lyn, New York. 



COMSTOCK, Samuel, 

Retired Farmer. 

In Devonshire, England, there is a lit- 
tle village called Culmstock, with a few 
hundred people living there. It is situ- 
ated on a small stream, called the River 
Culm, from which it derives its name. 
Residents in and near this village were 
wont to retain the name as a surname, and 
the immigrants coming to this country 
brought it with them. It is today one of 
the oldest and most respected names of 
early Colonial families. Members bear- 
ing the name are found in the business 
and professional world in large numbers. 
The family of which Samuel Comstock, 
one of the leading citizens of South Nor- 
walk, is a member, descends from one of 
the first Colonial settlers. 

In 1650 Christopher Comstock came to 
Fairfield, Connecticut, and in 1661 he was 
in Norwalk. He is believed to have been 
a son of William Comstock, who was 
early in Massachusetts. Christopher 
Comstock served as a deputy, and mar- 
ried, October 6, 1663, Hannah Piatt, of 
Milford. She was baptized October 6, 
1643. Christopher Comstock died De- 
cember 28, 1702. 

Moses Comstock, son of Christopher 
and Hannah (Piatt) Comstock, was born 
May 4, 1685, in Norwalk, and died there, 
January 18, 1766. He married, February 
23, 1709-10, Abigail Brinsmade, of Hart- 
ford, and they were the parents of Abijah 
Comstock, of whom further. 

Abijah Comstock, son of Moses and 
Abigail (Brinsmade) Comstock, was born 
in Norwalk, November 19, 1721, and died 
in New Canaan, June 22, 1807. He mar- 



ried Deborah Benedict, of Norwalk, May 

30, 1745- 

Samuel Comstock, son of Abijah and 
Deborah (Benedict) Comstock, was born 
in Norwalk, July II, 1767, and died in 
New Canaan, November 9, 1819. He 
married, December 6, 1793, Catherine 
Clock, of Darien. She was born Novem- 
ber 18, 1769, and died March 20, 1839, 
daughter of Jonathan Clock. Samuel 
Comstock was a farmer in New Canaan, 
and the farm which he owned is now 
owned by his grandson ; it has been con- 
tinuously in the family. Samuel Com- 
stock was commissioned ensign and rose 
through the ranks to major, receiving his 
commission from Governor Trumbull. 

Samuel (2) Comstock, son of Samuel 

(1) and Catherine (Clock) Comstock, was 
born in New Canaan, July 4, 1802, and 
died there March 11, 1871. He 
married, October 3, 1837, his cousin, 
Sarah Comstock, born in 1812, died 
February 7, 1901 ; she was a daughter 
of David Comstock, of Norwalk. Sam- 
uel (2) Comstock was raised on his 
father's farm, and engaged in farming all 
his life. In his younger days he was a 
Whig and in later life an Independent in 
politics ; he held various town offices. His 
children, only four of whom grew to ma- 
turity, were : Sarah ; Ann Eliza ; Joseph- 
ine ; Clementine, wife of Dr. J. R. Conklin, 
of Omaha, Nebraska; and Samuel (3), of 
further mention. 

Samuel (3) Comstock, son of Samuel 

(2) and Sarah (Comstock) Comstock, 
was born November 29, 185 1, and was 
brought up on the home farm. In due 
course of time he succeeded his father 
as owner of the farm, and successfully 
operated it for about forty years, when he 
retired to enjoy a well-earned rest. Mr. 
Comstock has been one of the substan- 
tial citizens of Norwalk for many years; 
he is the type of man who is an asset to 

20 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



any community, a man of honor and in- 
tegrity. Since retiring from active duties 
Mr. Comstock has spent his winters in 
Florida, where he has a winter home. 

Mr. Comstock married Florence May 
Benedict, daughter of William Henry 
Benedict, of Norwalk, and the house in 
which they live has been in the Benedict 
family for four generations. Mr. and Mrs. 
Comstock attend and aid in the support 
of the South Norwalk Congregational 
Church. 



GORHAM, Henry, 

Business Man, Public Official. 

The memory of those whose lives have 
been spent in useful activities, with the 
welfare of the community always at heart, 
will ever be a favorite topic with the bi- 
ographer. Generation after generation 
the family spirit lives and thrives through 
all the hardships of pioneer existence, 
forms and governs new conditions, merg- 
ing into that supreme spirit of National 
progress and independence which has 
made America the foremost Nation of the 
world today. Henry Gorham, prominent 
in the Stamford of the early part of the 
nineteenth century, was a noteworthy 
member of one of the oldest of American 
Colonial families. 

The origin of the name of Gorham 
reaches back to ancient English times. 
It is one of those names derived from the 
location of the home of its first bearer. 
It was formed from two words : Gore, 
which signifies a three-cornered piece of 
land, and ham, signifying an enclosure. 
It is thus clear that some early ancestor 
of this family built his home close to a 
piece of land of this shape, which was 
enclosed for the protection of his posses- 
sions. From the earliest form of John of 
Gore-ham, or John atte-Gore-ham, the 
form has gradually changed to its present 



form, Gorham. The arms of the Gorham 
family are : Gules, three shacklebolts, 
conjoined in the fesse point, or. 

(I) Captain John Gorham, an early an- 
cestor of this family, was born at Bene- 
field, Northamptonshire, England ; he was 
the son of Ralph Gorham, and the grand- 
son of James Gorham. He was born in 
1550, and died in 1576. He married, in 
1572, Agnes Bernington. 

(II) Ralph Gorham, son of Captain 
John and Agnes (Bernington) Gorham. 
was born in 1575, and died about 1643. 
He came to New England with his family, 
and was in Plymouth in 1637. 

(III) Captain John (2) Gorham, son 
of Ralph Gorham, was baptized January 
28, 1620. He was a devoted professor of 
the Puritan faith. He married, in 1643, 
Desire Howland, daughter of John and 
Elizabeth (Tilley) Howland, born in 
Plymouth, died October 13, 1683. John 
Howland was among the passengers of 
the "Mayflower," as was also John Til- 
ley, grandfather of Desire Howland. In 
1646 John Gorham removed from Plym- 
outh to Marshfield, and in 1648 he was 
chosen constable of the latter town. He 
was admitted a freeman, June 4, 1650, and 
in 1652 removed to Yarmouth. He be- 
came a very prominent man in the little 
pioneer community, and owned a grist 
mill and a tannery. He was deputy from 
Yarmouth to Plymouth Colony, April 6, 
1653. He filled the important office of 
surveyor of highways in Yarmouth. He 
did gallant service in King Philip's War, 
in which struggle he lost his life. For his 
sendees at this time his family were 
awarded one hundred acres of land. He 
lived in Barnstable and there made his 
home most of his life. 

(IV) Shubael Gorham, son of Captain 
John (2) and Desire (Howland) Gorham, 
was. born October 21, 1667, in Barnstable, 
Massachusetts. His parents wished him 



121 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



to enter one of the professions, but he was 
more interested in the establishment and 
development of the Colony. He learned 
the carpenter's trade, and had a share in 
the actual constructive work of the vi- 
cinity. He became a prosperous and well- 
to-do business man, keeping a tavern and 
owning a number of shares in a fulling 
mill. He married, in 1696, Puella Hussey, 
of Nantucket, and later they removed to 
South Sea. His will was dated Septem- 
ber 23, 1748, and proved August 7, 1750. 

(V) George Gorham, son of Shubael 
and Puella (Hussey) Gorham, was born 
in Barnstable, Massachusetts, January 29, 
1696 or 1697. In early life he was a sea 
captain, but was located in Rye, New 
York, in 1727. He still kept an active in- 
terest in commerce by water. He had a 
flour and grist mill at Rye, and sent his 
product to the West Indies in his own 
vessels. He was licensed, in 1727, to sail 
from New London to the Barbadoes, with 
the sloop ''Hannah." Some years after 
this he came to Stamford, Connecticut. 
He married, in Rye, New York, July 20, 
1726, Hannah Banks. 

(VI) Daniel Gorham, son of George 
and Hannah (Banks) Gorham, was born 
in Rye, New York, May 17, 1737. He was 
for many years a resident of Darien, Con- 
necticut. He was very prosperous, and 
became a large land owner. Besides con- 
ducting a farm of considerable size, he 
was one of the most important millers in 
that section. He married Jane Bates, 
July 15, 1780. 

(VII) Henry Gorham, well remem- 
bered by many residents of Fairfield 
county, son of Daniel and Jane (Bates) 
Gorham, was born in Darien, Connecti- 
cut, in the house now occupied by his 
daughter, August 28, 1792. This house 
was built in 1789, replacing a much older 
one. Here his childhood was spent. He 
received his elementary education in the 



public schools of the town, then later at- 
tended a private school. He then taught 
school for a time, leaving the impress of 
his high ideals and splendid personality 
on a group of young people who were 
later to bear a part in the development of 
this section into what it is today. He 
then went to New York City, where he 
became a clerk in a wholesale dry goods 
house. Later he went into business for 
himself as a member of the firm of Gor- 
ham & Mott. Various outside influences, 
which the young men had the foresight 
to analyze, deterred them from attempt- 
ing any expansion, and led them at length 
to close up the business. Mr. Gorham 
determined to do nothing hastily, and 
wishing to look about for some promising 
opening, went to Ohio, leaving his wife 
and two children in the care of his sister. 
The section did not particularly appeal 
to him, nor did he find his health as good 
as in his former home section, thus it 
did not require much urging on the part 
of his brother to induce him to return 
to Darien to engage in the milling busi- 
ness. They formed a partnership, pur- 
chased the family homestead, and erected 
a thoroughly up-to-date flouring mill. 
The vast plans of the West were still un- 
broken prairie, but the fertile Genesee 
Valley, in New York State, was just 
reaching the height of its production as 
a wheat growing section. As the mills 
there handled the grain without the trans- 
portation inevitable for the Connecticut 
millers, the brothers soon found that it 
was not worth while to attempt to com- 
pete with the mills which were more ad- 
vantageously located. They continued 
in the business, however, for Connecticut 
farmers then grew a large share of the 
grain required by their stock, and the 
Gorhamsdid an extensive business, grind- 
ing corn, both for culinary purposes and 
for feed. Flour they bought and sold. In 



122 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



1857 the mill was destroyed by fire. Mr. 
Gorham was then quite advanced in 
years, and feeling no need nor inclination 
to reestablish the business retired to the 
comfort and leisure for which his busy 
life had left neither time nor opportunity. 
He lived but four years to enjoy the quiet 
pursuits of his choice, passing away Sep- 
tember 21, l86l. 

Mr. Gorham married Julia B. Raymond, 
daughter of George Raymond, of New 
York City. Her mother was Susan 
(Parker) Raymond, a Southern lady. 
They were the parents of eight children : 
Helen, who married John J. Warren, of 
Stamford, deceased ; Francis, now de- 
ceased, formerly of Brooklyn, and Mount 
Vernon, New York; George Raymond, 
deceased, formerly of Noroton ; Henry, 
deceased, formerly of New York City ; 
Joseph, deceased, formerly of Savannah, 
Georgia ; James, deceased, formerly of 
Brooklyn ; Caroline, of Darien, who lives 
at the old homestead, and is a prominent 
member of the Stamford Historical So- 
ciety ; and Charles Leary, deceased. 

Mr. Gorham is remembered in the com- 
munity as a man of lovable personality, 
and genuine, sterling worth. Of genial 
presence, fond of a telling anecdote, full 
of the true, deep goodness of heart which 
keeps alive the brotherhood of man, and 
thus strengthens one's faith in the Fa- 
therhood of God, he was a man whose 
friendship was valued and whose con- 
victions were respected by all who knew 
him. He possessed too generous a nature 
to amass great wealth. He could always 
see the justice and right on the side of 
the other man. He was sincerely devoted 
to the public welfare, holding a high inter- 
pretation of his personal duty as a citizen. 
He served as selectman for many years, 
and such was his public spirit that he 
would never put a price on his services, 
and declined more than an honorarium of 



ten dollars per year. In the truest sense 
of the term he was a public servant, seek- 
ing not his own but the public welfare, 
and the same spirit of unselfishness was 
evident through all his life. He was a 
man whose memory lives though the 
years have gone by since his passing. 



SAXTON, William Henry, 

Manufacturer. Banker. 

There were many and varied ways of 
deriving surnames, yet the two most gen- 
erally found are from the location of the 
ancestral home, and from occupation of 
an early ancestor. Authorities differ re- 
garding the origin of the surname Saxton ; 
some claim that it is derived from Sax- 
town, meaning a town of the Saxons, and 
others, that it is derived from the office 
of the church, the same as sexton. How- 
ever, the name is a very ancient one and 
is found on record at an early date in 
English history. The family from which 
Mr. Saxton descends was early settled 
on Long Island, and there his father, Ste- 
phen R. Saxton, was born July 30, 1813. 

The latter grew to manhood in Long 
Island, and soon after attaining his ma- 
jority went to New York City, where he 
engaged in business. Very early in his 
life he proved himself to be possessed of 
more than the ordinary business acumen, 
and from the outset was very successful 
in business. He learned the trade of 
cabinet maker, which occupation he fol- 
lowed until his marriage. Mr. Saxton 
then entered business as a manufacturer 
and importer of artificial flowers. The 
business was conducted under the name 
of S. R. Saxton, and later a nephew of 
Mr. Saxton was admitted to partnership, 
at which time the name was Saxton & 
Vanvelsor. Mr. Saxton was one of the 
incorporators and during his life a mem- 
ber of the board of directors of the Sau- 



123 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



gatuck Bank, which later became the 
First National Bank, of Westport, and in 
1913 was reorganized as the Westport 
Bank and Trust Company. Mr. Saxton 
married, in 1841, Samantha Marietta Por- 
ter, born August 29, 181 7, in Danbury, 
Connecticut, and died in Westport, March 
14, 1903, daughter of Menander and 
Clarissa (Sanford) Porter. Menander 
Porter was born February 17, 1789, and 
died October 18, 1838; he married Clarissa' 
Sanford, born November 6, 1794. His 
father, Philo Porter, was born in August, 
1767, and died March 30, 1830. He mar- 
ried, in November, 1785, Lois Baldwin, 
born in July, 1768. Mr. and Mrs. Saxton 
were attendants of the Congregational 
church, of Westport. 

The only son of Stephen R. and Saman- 
tha M. (Porter) Saxton was William 
Henry Saxton, born May 1, 1842, in New 
York City, and lived there until he was 
fourteen years of age. It was at this time 
he removed to Saugatuck, Connecticut, 
with his family, and there he has resided 
practically all his life since, with the ex- 
ception of trips abroad. His schooling was 
obtained in the Greens Farms Academy, 
and subsequently he went to New York 
and entered his father's business as a 
clerk. He learned the business in detail, 
and later was admitted as a partner. For 
almost ten years Mr. Saxton was the 
firm's representative in Paris, France. 
Since 1S87 Mr. Saxton has been connected 
with the Westport Bank and Trust Com- 
pany, and now serves that institution as 
vice-president and director. Mr. Saxton 
has a beautiful home in Saugatuck, situ- 
ated on the Saugatuck river and com- 
manding a wonderful view. He has al- 
ways been represented among the promi- 
nent citizens there, and is held in high 
respect and esteem. 

In 1867 Mr. Saxton married Emily F. 
Sherwood, daughter of Captain Frederick 



and Emily (Banks) Sherwood (see Sher- 
wood VIII). 

Mr. and Mrs. Saxton were the parents 
of four children, only one of whom, An- 
gie, Mrs. B. L. Woodworth, is now living. 
The others were: Clara H., married Rev. 
H. M. Burr; Emily F., died in Paris, 
France ; Edward R. The family attend 
the Congregational church and Mr. Sax- 
ton has been a deacon there for many 
years. 

(The Sherwood Line). 

(I) The Sherwoods are one of the old- 
est families in Fairfield county, being de- 
scended from Thomas Sherwood, the 
immigrant. The latter came from Ips- 
wich, England, in the "France," in 1634. 
He was born in England about 1586, and 
died in 1655 in Fairfield. After coming 
to America, Thomas Sherwood lived for 
several years in Massachusetts, and 
thence removed to Fairfield, Connecticut. 
He married (first) Alice Seabrook, born 
in 1587, daughter of Robert Seabrook, 
and the Christian name of his second wife 
was Mary. 

(II) Thomas (2) Sherwood, son of the 
immigrant, Thomas (1) Sherwood, was 
born in 1624, and died in 1698. He was 
admitted a freeman in Hartford, Connec- 
ticut, October 13, 1664, and was the first 
miller in Mill River, Fairfield. He mar- 
ried Ann Turney. 

(III) Samuel Sherwood, son of Thomas 
(2) and Ann (Turney) Sherwood, was 
born in June, 1725. He married and was 
the father of Daniel, of whom further. 

(IV) Daniel Sherwood, son of Samuel 
Sherwood, was born in 1708, and died in 
1874. During the Revolutionary period, 
Daniel Sherwood and his wife, Martha 
(Hull) Sherwood, kept a tavern. 

( Y) Daniel (2) Sherwood, son of Dan- 
iel (1) and Martha (Hull) Sherwood, was 
born November 20, 1735, and died in 
1819. In 1756 he was graduated from 



124 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Yale College. He married Abigail An- 
drews, born in 1736, died in 1793, daugh- 
ter of Deacon John Andrews. 

(VI) Daniel (3) Sherwood, son of 
Daniel (2) and Abigail (Andrews) Sher- 
wood, was born June 8, 1761, and died 
December 19, 1828. He was a farmer in 
Greens Farms, part of which estate is 
still in possession of the family. 

(VII) Frederick Sherwood, son of 
Daniel (3) Sherwood, was born Septem- 
ber 3, 1810, one of the famous Sherwood 
triplets, the other two being named Fran- 
cis and Franklin, all sea captains. Sher- 
wood's Island is named for this family. 
Captain Frederick Sherwood married 
Emily Banks. 

(VIII) Emily F. Sherwood, daughter 
of Captain Frederick and Emily (Banks) 
Sherwood, became the wife of William 
Henry Saxton (see Saxton). 



LELAND, George Benton, 

Manufacturing Executive. 

The wonders of electrical science have 
engaged the brightest minds of recent 
years. Their practical application has 
revolutionized industry and ended house- 
hold drudgery. The story of electricity 
is full of fascinating interest, and those 
who can tell the most say that the sci- 
ence is only in its infancy. George Ben- 
ton Leland, of Stamford, Connecticut, is 
one of the foremost men of the section 
in the electrical world. And noting the 
eminently practical line of work in which 
he is occupied, it is interesting to follow 
back to their American origin the family 
lines through which, from one generation 
to another, this practical trend of effort 
has been an actuating impulse. 

The name of Leland, according to the 
most generally accepted authorities, is 
derived from the place of residence of the 
earliest bearers of the name, as lee, leigh, 



lea, ley, or lye, all different forms de- 
scriptive of such land as we call a pas- 
ture. This circumstance would very defi- 
nitely indicate that the early bearers of 
this name were industrious farmers and 
shepherds. The name was used in the 
form of Leyland, and many illustrious 
men have borne it in England and Amer- 
ica. A Leland in England attained the 
distinction of serving as chaplain to King 
Henry VIII., and was the only person 
ever holding the office of "King's An- 
tiquary." He was one of the most ac- 
complished scholars and voluminous 
writers of his own or any other age. The 
Lelands of America have had many prom- 
inent men among their number, men who 
have made their name significant of big 
things in development of the National 
prosperity. The Leland coat-of-arms is : 

Arms — Gules a saltire argent charged with 
three palets azure, a chief or. 

Crest — A crow rising, transfixed with an arrow. 
Motto — Cut dcbeo fidus. 

(I) Henry Leland, according to the 
most accurate records, was the progenitor 
of all the families who bear this name 
in America, almost without exception. 
He was born in England, about 1625. It 
is probable that he came to America in 
1652, as the church records of Dorchester, 
Massachusetts, show that he united with 
the church in that town in 1653. Not long 
after, he settled on land where the town 
of Sherburne was later located, and here 
he resided until his death, April 4, 1680. 
Henry Leland made his will, March 27, 
1680 (O. S.), and on June 8th following 
it was probated. He made a practice of 
spelling his name Layland. All records 
give every reason for perpetuating his 
memory as a man of high character, 
meeting danger with invincible courage, 
and enduring the inevitable hardships of 
pioneer life with patient fortitude, seek- 



12 = 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



ing the solace of religious devotion 
through all. He married Margaret Bad- 
cock, and they were the parents of five 
children. 

(II) Ebenezer Leland, the fourth child 
of Henry and Margaret (Badcock) Le- 
land, was born in Old Medfield, Massa- 
chusetts, January 25, 1657, and died in 
Sherburne, in 1742. He followed farming 
during all his life, like the majority of the 
colonists. His son Timothy administered 
his estate, which amounted to £198 10s. 
6d. Administration was granted, October 
18, 1742. Ebenezer Leland was married 
twice ; the name of his first wife being 
Deborah ; and his second wife Mary 
Hunt. 

(III) Captain James Leland, third son 
of Ebenezer and Deborah Leland, was 
born in Sherburne, Massachusetts, in 
1687, and died in Grafton, in 1768. Be- 
sides conducting the farm, he served in 
the militia with the rank of captain. In 
the commissioner's return of his father's 
estate, January 12, 1753, it is recorded 
that Captain James Leland received in 
the year 1708 £17 10s. His early life 
was spent in Sherburne, but in 1723, after 
his marriage, he removed with his wife 
and little family and settled in Worcester 
county, Massachusetts, in a township 
then called Hassanamisco, which later be- 
came the town of Grafton. He married 
Hannah Learned. 

(IV) Phineas Leland, son of Captain 
James and Hannah (Learned) Leland, 
was born in Grafton, Massachusetts, in 
1730, and died there in 1773. He settled 
near the home of his father, in Grafton, 
as did all his brothers and sisters who 
lived to maturity, and lived on a farm 
which was a part of his father's estate, sit- 
uated on the Blackstone river. He mar- 
ried (first) Lydia Fletcher, (second) 
Sarah Warren. 

(V) Caleb Leland, son of Phineas Le- 



land, was born in 1765, and died in 1843, 
in Baltimore, Vermont. He lived in Graf- 
ton, Massachusetts, where he followed 
farming until about the year 1800, when 
he removed to Chester, Vermont, then 
soon afterward to the adjoining town of 
Baltimore, where he remained until his 
death. He married Lakin Willard. 

(VI) Charles Leland, son of Caleb and 
Lakin (Willard) Leland, was born in 
1806. He was a farmer all his life, highly 
respected in the community, and an in- 
dustrious and upright man. He served 
for many years as justice of the peace. He 
lived in Lowell, Vermont, in his younger 
days, then later removed to Johnson, 
Vermont, when he remained until a few 
years before his death. These last years 
were spent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 
where he died about 1892. He married 
Lucy Perkins. 

(VII) Albert A. Leland, son of Charles 
and Lucy (Perkins) Leland, was born in 
Lowell, Vermont, in January, 1832. He 
began life as a farmer, but possessing 
much originality and considerable busi- 
ness ability, he saw the possibilities in 
the marketing of potato starch. He man- 
ufactured this product for many years, 
beginning in a small way, and developing 
the business until in his later years it 
attained a substantial volume. He lived 
in Johnson, Vermont, during the greater 
part of his life. He was a broad-minded 
and public-spirited man, always bearing 
his share in the affairs of the town, and 
held numerous town offices. He was a 
Republican by political affiliation, but 
held the tenets of the party subservient to 
the public good. On account of physical 
disability he was not permitted to serve 
in the Civil War, although eager to enlist. 
He married, April 25, i860, Mary Esther 
Benton, born April 2, 1839, daughter of 
Reuben C. and Almira (Fletcher) Benton 
(see Benton VII). They were the parents 



126 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



of eight children, of whom five grew to ma- 
turity : Frederic Adams, of Springfield, 
Massachusetts, now deceased ; Lucy Lou- 
ise, of East Fairfield, Connecticut ; George 
Benton, of whom further ; Thomas Henry, 
of Waterbury, Vermont; Mary Elmira, 
who married Professor Warner J. Morse, 
Ph. D., of the University of Maine ; Clar- 
ence Albert ; Helen Douglas, born Decem- 
ber 4, 1880, died October 12, 1882; Clifford 
M., born July 4, 1882, who enlisted in the 
Canadian regulars for the war in Europe, 
and was killed June 28, 1917. The fam- 
ily have always been members of the Con- 
gregational church. 

(VIII) George Benton Leland, second 
son, and third child of Albert A. and Mary 
Esther (Benton) Leland, and general 
manager of The Stamford Gas and Elec- 
tric Company, was born in Johnson, Ver- 
mont, December 14, 1870. He received 
his education in the public schools of his 
native town. He worked on the home 
farm in his youth, then went into the shop 
in Erving, Massachusetts, where he 
gained the experience which was to be- 
come the stepping-stone to substantial 
success. From there he went to the Con- 
necticut Industrial School for Girls, at 
Middletown, as chief engineer and elec- 
trician. Later he accepted the very im- 
portant position of day engineer of the 
Middletown Electric Light Company, ris- 
ing finally to the position of chief engineer. 
He was with this company for something 
over seven years ; then an opportunity 
presented itself which would appeal to 
any live, aggressive man. He became as- 
sociated with Sanderson & Porter, and 
superintended the erection of their gen- 
erating plant in Far Rockaway, Long 
Island. For three years he was chief 
engineer of this splendidly equipped, 
modern plant, then came to Norwich, 
Connecticut, where he became superin- 
tendent of the Norwich Gas and Electric 



Company. The next step was to Stam- 
ford, Connecticut, where he accepted a 
position similar to that in Norwich. Mr. 
Leland has again assumed the head of 
the business in which he is interested, and 
is now general manager of the Stamford 
Gas and Electric Company. He enjoys 
the confidence and good will of every 
member of the executive and working 
forces, and is considered one of the big 
men in the world of production in this 
section. He is a thoroughgoing business 
man, keenly interested in every phase of 
the work under his charge, but he is also 
a wholesouled man among men, with a 
never-failing interest in the welfare of the 
men who do this work. This sentiment 
was well expressed in "The Story of 
Electricity" (p. 276), as follows: 

The wholehearted and often disinterested serv- 
ice that he has given to his profession has made 
his name familiar to the fraternity at large and 
in particular to the lighting division of the indus- 
try. He has been especially noted for his work 
in New England, as well as in Connecticut, having 
been zealous in promoting the welfare of The 
New England Section of The National Electric 
Light Association, in addition to his strictly pro- 
fessional duties. He served as a member of the 
Executive Committee for several years, and was 
president of the section during the year 1919. He 
has also been at the head of two of the State 
electrical associations. 

Mr. Leland is a busy man, taking little 
time for recreation, and his hours of lei- 
sure are very frequently taken up by 
study and research along electrical lines. 
He is an associate member of the Amer- 
ican Institute of Electrical Engineers. 

Mr. Leland married Nellie L. Griswold, 
daughter of LeRoy S. Griswold, of Hyde 
Park, Massachusetts. Mrs. Leland's par- 
ents, in November, 1919, celebrated the 
fifty-ninth anniversary of their marriage, 
and were felicitated by all their friends 
because of the fact that all their children 
are living. Mr. and Mrs. Leland are the 



127 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



parents of three children : Marian Esther, 
born September 16, 1894; Harold M., born 
November 28, 1897, died in Far Rocka- 
way, August 1, 1901, and buried in John- 
son, Vermont ; and Ruth Laura, born 
June 23, 1903. The family is prominent 
in all movements that make for social and 
civic progress. 

(The Benton Line). 

(I) Andrew Benton, the immigrant 
ancestor of this family in America, was 
born in England in 1620, and died July 
31, 1683, in Hartford, Connecticut. About 
1630 he came to New England, it is be- 
lieved with the Waterford settlers. He 
was a first settler of Milford, Connecticut, 
and in 1639 was granted three acres of 
land in that township. He removed to 
Hartford about 1660. He married (first) 
Hannah Stocking, daughter of George 
Stocking, a first settler of Hartford ; and 
(second) Anne Cole, of Hartford. 

(II) Samuel Benton, son of Andrew 
and Hannah (Stocking) Benton, was 
born in Milford, Connecticut, August 15, 
1658, and died in Hartford, April 10, 1746. 
He was an original proprietor of the set- 
tlement of Harwinton, Connecticut. He 
was a prominent man in the community, 
a leader in the public interests, and am- 
bitious and industrious in his personal 
affairs. He was honored with various 
public offices, and became a large land 
owner. He married Sarah Chatterton, 
daughter of William and Mary Chatter- 
ton, of New Haven, Connecticut, born 
July 19, 1661. 

(III) Deacon Jacob Benton, son of 
Samuel and Sarah (Chatterton) Benton, 
was born September 21, 1698, and bap- 
tized the 26th. He died in Harwinton, 
November 23, 1761. He also was one of 
the first settlers there, and lived there the 
greater part of his life. He married Eliz- 
abeth Hinsdell, born January 9, 1703, 



daughter of Barnabas and Martha 
(Smith) Hinsdell. 

(IV) Jacob (2) Benton, son of Deacon 
Jacob (1) and Elizabeth (Hinsdell) Ben- 
ton, was born January 8, 1729, and died 
January 13, 1807. Attracted by the pros- 
perity of Hartford, then fast becoming an 
important trade center, Jacob Benton re- 
moved thence, and passed the remainder 
of his life in Hartford. He married Han- 
nah Slade, who died July 21, 1805. 

(V) Samuel Slade Benton, son of Jacob 
(2) and Hannah (Slade) Benton, was 
born April 22, 1777, and was baptized in 
the October following. He died December 
15, 1857. The pioneer spirit of his ances- 
tors revived in him with renewed 
strength, and he sought a home farther 
inland, going into Vermont and building 
his own log cabin there. This was in 
1801. Later he removed to St. Johns- 
bury, and owned a farm. In July, 1841, 
he sold this farm to the Messrs. Fair- 
banks, who built their scale factory on 
its site. Samuel Slade Benton married 
Esther Prouty, of Charlestown, New 
Hampshire, who was born April 23, 1782, 
and died March 14, i860. 

(VI) Reuben Clark Benton, son of 
Samuel Slade and Esther (Prouty) Ben- 
ton, and their first child, was born in 
Waterford, Vermont, in the log cabin 
built by his father. He was reared on the 
home farm, where he worked with his 
father, living the normal, healthy life of 
the farmer boy. He developed a very 
strong, sturdy physique, and managed to 
acquire a good education, continuing to 
go to school when opportunity offered, 
until he was well past his majority. He 
then took up seriously the study of law, 
and was admitted to the bar in 185 1. He 
became a man of much more than local 
importance. He enjoyed the greatest 
confidence of his fellow-townspeople, 
which was richly deserved. He filled 



128 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



many public offices with honor and dis- 
tinction. He served as selectman, justice 
of the peace, was representative to the 
General Assembly, associate judge of the 
Essex County Court, State's attorney, 
and was a member of the State Senate in 

1856. Late in life he went West, where 
he died in Rockford, Illinois, October 1 1, 

1857. He married, in Haverhill, New 
Hampshire, April 9, 1829, Almira 
Fletcher, born October 13, 1801, in Wa- 
terford, Vermont, who died August 29, 
1873, in Johnson, Vermont, daughter of 
Samuel and Mary Ames (Billings) 
Fletcher (see Fletcher VII). Mrs. Ben- 
ton was a school teacher before her mar- 
riage, a woman of brilliant mentality, and 
her devoted interest in her husband's 
work was most helpful to him in his 
career. She was a descendant of the 
Fletcher family of Concord, Massachu- 
setts. 

(VII) Mary Esther Benton, daughter 
of Reuben Clark and Almira (Fletcher) 
Benton, was born April 2, 1839, * n Water- 
ford, Vermont, and died October 8, 1885, 
in Johnson, Vermont. She married, April 
25, i860, Albert A. Leland (see Leland 
VII). 

(The Fletcher Line). 

(I) Robert Fletcher, the founder of 
this branch of the family in America, was 
born in England, about 1592. He came 
to this country in 1630, and settled in 
Concord. He was wealthy and influen- 
tial, a man of mental power and com- 
manding presence, and held many public 
offices. 

(II) Francis Fletcher, son of Robert 
Fletcher, was born in Concord, in 1636. 
He was made freeman in 1677, and ad- 
mitted to the church the same year. He 
also became a prominent man in the 
community, and a large land owner. 
He married, August 1, 1656, Elizabeth 

Conn— 8— 9 I 



Wheeler, daughter of George and Kath- 
erine Wheeler, who died June 14, 1704. 

(III) Corporal Samuel Fletcher, son of 
Francis and Elizabeth (Wheeler) Flet- 
cher, was born August 6, 1657. From his 
rank it is evident that he served in the 
militia. He was also selectman and town 
clerk. He died October 23, 1744. He 

married, April 15, 1682, Elizabeth , 

and she survived him but three days. 

(IV) Timothy Fletcher, son of Cor- 
poral Samuel and Elizabeth Fletcher, was 
born August 28, 1704, in Concord. He 
served in the French and Indian War 
with courage and gallantry, and all his 
life was a great hunter. His wife's 
Christian name was Elizabeth. 

(V) James Fletcher, son of Timothy 
and Elizabeth Fletcher, was born Sep- 
tember 23, 1734. He was a man of great 
hardihood, of venturesome spirit, and fond 
of travel. In 1755 he was a member of 
Captain Osgood's Nova Scotia expedi- 
tion. 

(VI) Samuel (2) Fletcher, son of 
James Fletcher, was born about 1750, in 
Chesterfield, New Hampshire, and died 
in East Montpelier, Vermont, in 1831. 
He made an honorable record in the War 
of the Revolution, after which he re- 
moved to Waterford, Vermont, and there 
he served as constable. He married (sec- 
ond) Mrs. Mary Ames Billings. 

(VII) Almira Fletcher, daughter of 
Samuel (2) and Mary Ames (Billings) 
Fletcher, became the wife of Reuben 
Clark Benton, the Vermont attorney and 
State Senator (see Benton VI). 



DUREY, John C, 

Lawyer. 

Among the younger generation of at- 
torneys now practicing at the Fairfield 
county bar, the man whose name stands 

2Q 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



at the head of this article is an acknowl- 
edged leader. 

Thomas H. (2) Durey, son of Thomas 
H. (1), and father of John C. Durey, was 
born November 21, 1838, at Bethersden, 
County Kent, England, where his ances- 
tors had resided continuously since the 
settlement there of John Durey, who 
died in 1615, and whose grave in the 
family burial ground is still extant. 
When four years of age, Thomas H. (2) 
Durey came with his widowed mother to 
the United States and settled in Saybrook, 
Ohio, where other members of the family 
had located. After receiving an education 
in the public schools, he entered the mer- 
cantile business to which he devoted him- 
self principally until his death. He was 
a chess player of note. 

Mr. Durey married Mary Julissa Jenks, 
and of the five children born to them four 
attained maturity : George, died unmar- 
ried ; Ethel, married Frank A. Frisbie, of 
Saybrook, and both she and her husband 
are now deceased; Thomas H., of Cleve- 
land ; and John C, mentioned below. Mr. 
Durey was a member of the Protestant 
Episcopal church. He died in 1887. 

John C. Durey, son of Thomas H. (2) 
and Mary Julissa (Jenks) Durey, was 
born October 12, 1880, in Saybrook, Ohio, 
and received his education in the public 
schools of his native place and at the 
Geneva Institute. After graduating from 
the latter institution, he matriculated at 
the Law School of Yale University, from 
which he was graduated cum laude in the 
year 1906. While at Yale Mr. Durey 
served for two years on the editorial board 
of the "Yale Law Journal," and was a 
member of the fraternities of Corbey 
Court, Phi Delta Phi and Chi Tau Kappa. 
He was admitted to the Connecticut bar 
in 1906. 

Mr. Durey began his professional ca- 
reer in Stamford, becoming associated 
with John E. Keeler, with whom he 



afterward entered into partnership under 
the firm name of Keeler & Durey. The 
partnership was maintained until Mr. 
Keeler's elevation to the judiciary. Since 
that time Mr. Durey has continued the 
practice of the law under his own name, 
acquiring a lucrative and constantly in- 
creasing clientele, and building up a rep- 
utation which rests on the sure basis of 
native ability, thorough and comprehen- 
sive equipment, and unremitting devotion 
to duty. 

Mr. Durey is general counsel for the 
First-Stamford National Bank, a recent 
consolidation of the old First National 
and Stamford National banks, and is also 
attorney for the Citizens' Savings Bank, 
the Stamford Water Company, the West- 
ern Connecticut Title and Mortgage Com- 
pany, and other important interests. He is 
a member of the American Bar Associa- 
tion, and of the Character Committee of 
the Fairfield County Bar; is a member of 
the board of governors of the Suburban 
Club ; and belongs to the Woodway 
Country Club, the Stamford Y'acht Club, 
and the Yale Club of New York. He is 
treasurer of the Stamford Day Nursery 
and one of its board of trustees. He at- 
tends St. John's Protestant Episcopal 
Church, and serves as one of its officers. 

Mr. Durey's record furnishes conclu- 
sive evidence of his wisdom in choosing 
to devote himself to the profession of the 
law. He has proved that he possesses the 
judicial mind and also that he is endowed 
with the personal qualities necessary to 
insure a successful career at the bar. In 
the years to come his name will undoubt- 
edly be inscribed with honor in the legal 
annals of his countv and State. 



RICE, Watson Emmons, 

Physician, Legislator. 

For many generations descendants of 
the Rice family have been prominent in 



13c 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



the annals of New England. Members of 
this family have been found in the pro- 
fessions of medicine and the ministry in 
practically every generation. They have 
been distinguished for their earnest adher- 
ence to high ideals and their advocacy of 
all that makes for good citizenship. More 
than a quarter of a century ago, Dr. Wat- 
son E. Rice, a worthy representative of 
this ancient family, settled in Stamford, 
where he has since engaged in practice 
as a physician. During the intervening 
years Dr. Rice has performed his share 
in upholding the honorable record and 
prestige of the family name. 

As far back as 1073 record of the name 
is found, at which time it is spelled Rhys. 
It is of Celtic derivation, signifying ar- 
dour. This meaning illustrates an ancient 
custom of deriving surnames from some 
personal quality or appearance. The lo- 
cation of the ancestral homes, as well as 
personal occupation, also served to desig- 
nate individuals at an early period. 

(I) Edmund Rice, ancestor, born about 
1594, came from Barkhamstead, Hertford 
county, England, and settled in Sudbury, 
Massachusetts, in 1638-39. He shared in 
the three divisions of land in 1639. He 
was a well known, influential citizen of 
Sudbury, and served as proprietor and 
selectman. His wife, Tamazine, died in 
Sudbury, June 13, 1654; he died at Marl- 
boro, May 3, 1663, and was buried at 
Sudbury. They were the parents of a 
son, Henry, of whom further. 

(II) Henry Rice, son of Edmund and 
Tamazine Rice, was born about 1617. He 
was admitted a freeman in 1658, and mar- 
ried, February 1, 1643, Elizabeth Moore, 
who died August 3, 1705. He died at 
Framingham, February 10, 1710-11. They 
were the parents of David, of whom fur- 
ther. 

(III) David Rice, second son of Henry 
and Elizabeth (Moore) Rice, was born 



December 27, 1659, and died October 16, 
1723. He was a founder and deacon of 
the Framingham Church in 1701. He 
married, April 7, 1687, Hannah Walker, 
of Sudbury, born in 1669, died December 

18, 1704, daughter of Thomas and Mary 
Walker, of Sudbury and Framingham. 
They were the parents of Bezaleel, of 
whom further. 

(IV) Bezaleel Rice, son of David and 
Hannah (Walker) Rice, was in the serv- 
ice of Clark's Company from Framingham 
in 1725. He was a physician, and also 
served as selectman in 1742. He mar- 
ried, June 23, 1720, Sarah Buckminster, 
of Framingham. 

(V) David Rice, second son of Beza- 
leel and Sarah (Buckminster) Rice, was 
born September 17, 1723, died in March, 
1802, at Framingham. He married, Sep- 
tember 27, 1750, Hannah Winch, who died 
in January, 1816. Their eighth child was 
Dr. Nathan Rice, of whom further. 

(VI) Dr. Nathan Rice, son of David 
and Hannah (Winch) Rice, was baptized 
April 9, 1769, and died February 23, 1814. 
He was a physician, and settled at Way- 
land. He married, September 29, 1796, 
Polly Eaton, born May 8, 1778, died July 

19, 1818, daughter of Benjamin and Mary 
(Stacey) Eaton, of Framingham, a de- 
scendant of Jonas Eaton, early in Read- 
ing, Massachusetts. Their children were: 
Calvin, Marshall, Mary, Gardner, of 
whom further ; and Nathan. 

(VII) Rev. Gardner Rice, third son of 
Dr. Nathan and Polly (Eaton) Rice, was 
born December 13, 1805. He was gradu- 
ated from Wesleyan University, at Mid- 
dletown, Connecticut, in the early thirties, 
and was ordained to the ministry of the 
Methodist Episcopal church. He never 
accepted a settled pastorate, feeling that 
his gift was that of a teacher, but dur- 
ing hit, long and active career he con- 
stantly sought out small churches in rural 



131 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



communities that were unable to main- 
tain settled pastors, a service in the doing 
of which he must find his reward, and he 
had the gratification of seeing a number of 
well established churches develop from 
his missionary efforts. Mr. Rice estab- 
lished and conducted academies in the 
towns of Holliston, Salem and Shrews- 
bury, Massachusetts. What he sought to 
do, what alone satisfied him, was not 
merely to increase a young man's store 
of information, but to develop his char- 
acter and make a Christian man of him, 
to teach him how the learning he gained 
might be used in the work of life, and 
that it was of small value unless it were 
so used. He taught the lesson and im- 
portance of life ; he made his students 
grasp the significance of existence, the 
responsibility that rested upon them, the 
duty and the glory of doing their part 
to help and benefit the generation in 
which they lived, and the failure and ig- 
nominy of leading listless, heedless, un- 
important lives. As a result of his pre- 
cepts, supported by an unusually con- 
sistent Christian example, he had the 
satisfaction of seeing nearly all his pupils 
converted. Who can tell the far-reaching 
effects of such a devoted man? His in- 
fluence will go on and on in ever widening 
circles to bless generations yet to come. 
Mr. Rice married, May 25, 1835, Sarah 
Morse, born September 2, 1809, in Leo- 
minister, Massachusetts, daughter of Jo- 
seph and Sukey (Dirroll) Morse, de- 
scendant of Anthony Morse, settler at 
Newbury, Massachusetts. They were the 
parents of nine children: 1. Milton G., 
born August 17, 1836, died July 17, 1842. 
2. Emery H., born May 3, 1838. 3. Mar- 
shall N., born May 9, 1840. 4. Wilbur H., 
born January 10, 1842. 5. Sarah E., died 
young. 6. Watson E., of further men- 
tion. 7. Milman B., died young. 8. 



Wilmot B., born November 8, 1850. 9. 
Virgil, born August 23, 1854. 

(VIII) Watson Emmons Rice, son of 
Rev. Gardner and Sarah (Morse) Rice, 
was born December 15, 1848, at Shrews- 
bury, Massachusetts. His education was 
mainly obtained under the able precep- 
torship of his father, and his youth was 
spent in the various towns where the Rev. 
Gardner Rice conducted his schools. Sub- 
sequently, Dr. Rice prepared himself for 
teaching and for six years followed this 
calling in his native State, and also in 
Parkersburg, West Virginia. While a 
resident of the latter town he became in- 
terested in the medical profession, and 
under Dr. William Gilman he studied and 
prepared to enter the University of Mich- 
igan, at Ann Arbor. He graduated in 
1872, and part of the same year practiced 
in Plymouth, Michigan. Returning East 
he located at North Grafton, where for 
twenty years he was one of the leading 
physicians and among the highly re- 
spected citizens of the place. The West 
again called him and he spent the winter 
of 1891-92 in Seattle, Washington. In 
the spring of 1892 he came to Stamford, 
Connecticut, where he has remained to 
the present time. 

Dr. Rice has won many friends for him- 
self, and he possesses the art of keeping 
a friend, which is better still. He has 
always been of a modest, retiring nature, 
and does not seek public attention of any 
kind, although in 1898 he represented 
Stamford in the General Assembly, and 
was reelected for a second term of two 
years. He served on Humane Institu- 
tions and Public Lands committees. 

While in the Legislature, Dr. Rice tried 
to arouse interest in a project to estab- 
lish a State farm where inebriates and 
other ne'er-do-wells might be sent in hope 
of making men of them. He recognized 



132 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



that more evil than good comes from late Husted W. Hoyt on his death. Since 



sending such individuals to the usual 
penal institutions. His plan was to in- 
crease the length of the sentence on each 
recurring commitment so that incurables 
would ultimately be kept on the farm 
under healthful conditions and helpful 
environment. Dr. Rice's idea was too 
advanced for the time, but he has had 
the pleasure since then of seeing the plan 
partially put into operation. Dr. Rice has 
ever been interested in educational mat- 
ters, and has served twenty-four years as 
a member of the School Board, having 
been its chairman for fourteen years. A 
new school, containing twenty-four 
rooms, in Stamford, has recently been 
named in his honor, the Rice School. He 
is on the staff of the Stamford Hospital, 
and visiting physician of the Children's 
Home. 

Fraternally he is a member of Union 
Lodge, No. 5, Free and Accepted Masons ; 
Rittenhouse Chapter, Royal Arch Ma- 
sons, of Stamford ; Hiram Council and 
Worcester County Council of Worcester ; 
Rose Croix, of Worcester; Pyramid 
Shrine, at Bridgeport. 



McNALL, George Gordon, 

Lawyer, Man of Affairs. 

, George Gordon McNall was born in 
Utica, Oneida county, New York, June 2, 
1857, the son of John Alexander and Mary 
(Tilden) McNall. He removed to Green- 
wich in boyhood, was educated in the 
local schools, became a clerk in the town 
clerk's office, and was elected town clerk 
when twenty-one years of age. He stud- 
ied law under the preceptorship of Myron 
L. Mason, was admitted to the bar in 
1883, an d subsequently elected judge of 
probate. On the establishment of the 
Borough Court in Greenwich, he was 
appointed deputy judge and succeeded the 



his retirement from that office he has de- 
voted his time entirely to the practice of 
his profession. He is connected with 
many of the industrial enterprises in his 
town, and is a director of and attorney 
for the Greenwich National Bank and the 
Maher Brothers' Corporation. In religion 
he is a member of Christ Episcopal 
Church. He is prominent in Masonic 
circles in Connecticut, having been elected 
grand master in 1899. 

On April 24, 1899, Mr. McNall married 
Mrs. Emma F. McNall. 



PENFIELD, William W., Laveme H., 

Manufacturers. 

The first of the name of Penfield in 
Connecticut was William Penfield, who 
was early settled in Middletown, in 1663. 
Since that time there have been many 
bearing the name throughout the State 
engaged in the professional, the public 
and business life of their respective 
communities. They have been among 
the useful and upright citizens, and prom- 
inent among them are William W. Pen- 
field and his son, Laverne H. Penfield, 
manufacturers of Stamford. 

The family from which they are de- 
scended was long settled in New Haven, 
Connecticut, and it was there that the 
great-grandfather of Laverne H. Penfield, 
William Barnes Penfield, lived. The lat- 
ter was a sea captain, and the Christian 
name of his wife was Elvira. 

William Barnes Penfield, grandfather 
of Laverne H. Penfield, was born in 
New Haven, and died March 17, 1914, 
aged seventy-four years. He was edu- 
cated in the public schools, and at an early 
age went to sea, making voyages to for- 
eign ports, especially the West Indies. 
After a few years he gave up the sea and 
took up cabinet-making in Fair Haven, 



133 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



in the plant of the Fair Haven Extension 
Table Company. Mr. Penfield was with 
them a good many years, until the busi- 
ness was abandoned, when he entered the 
employ of the New York, New Haven & 
Hartford Railroad Company in its repair 
shop, and was with them as long as he 
lived. Mr. Penfield was a member of the 
old Volunteer Fire Department, No. 6, 
and when the permanent department was 
organized in Fair Haven, he became a 
call man for a short time. He married 
Josephine Davis, daughter of Captain 
John Davis, of New Haven; they were 
members of St. James' Episcopal Church, 
of Fair Haven. Of their two children, 
William W. was the one who grew to 
maturity. 

William W. Penfield, son of William 
Barnes and Josephine (Davis) Penfield, 
was born in New Haven, Connecticut, 
July 20, 1861, and was educated in the 
public schools there. He learned the 
trade of tool-maker and machinist, and 
has worked in various shops in New 
Haven, Waterbury and New Britain, get- 
ting valuable experience which has been 
of untold value to him in later years. 
For seventeen years he was with the 
Traut & Hine Manufacturing Company 
of New Britain, much of this time hold- 
ing a position as foreman. In 1916 Mr. 
Penfield engaged in business on his own 
account in Stamford, and on August 1, 
1918, the business was incorporated under 
the name of William W. Penfield, Inc., 
with W. W. Penfield as president and 
treasurer, and L. H. Penfield as vice- 
president. The product of manufacture is 
snap fasteners for silk gloves and other 
brass novelties, and this is sold direct to 
glove manufacturers and manufacturers 
of other lines into whose products the 
various things made by the Penfield plant 
enter. 

Mr. Penfield is a member of Harmony 



Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons ; 
Washington Commandery, Knights Tem- 
plar, of Hartford ; Sphinx Temple, of 
Hartford, and Connecticut Consistory, of 
Norwich. 

Mr. Penfield married Sarah Elliott, 
daughter of James Elliott, and they were 
the parents of two sons : Leroy, now de- 
ceased, left one child, Barbara Elliott 
Penfield ; Laverne H., of further mention. 
Mr. and Mrs. Penfield are regular at- 
tendants of St. Mark's Episcopal Church 
of New Britain. 

Laverne Howard Penfield, son of Wil- 
liam W. and Sarah (Elliott) Penfield, was 
born in Waterbury, December 25, 1891, 
and was educated in the schools of that 
city and in New Britain. After attending 
the high school, he worked under his 
father in the plant of the Traut & Hine 
Manufacturing Company, in New Britain, 
and since that time has been associated 
with him. On April 15, 1918, Mr. Pen- 
field entered the Franklin Union Train- 
ing School in Boston and pursued a course 
in aeroplane and tractor mechanics. The 
following July he left there and went to 
Camp Jackson, South Carolina, where 
after two weeks he sailed for France. 
After arriving in France he joined the 
32nd Division, 121st Field Artillery Head- 
quarters Company, remaining with them 
until the armistice was signed. Subse- 
quently, Mr. Penfield was transferred to 
the Central Records Office of Bruges, 
Belgium, as a courier between that point 
and London. Each trip he spent three 
days in traveling and three days in Lon- 
don, thus giving him an opportunity to 
see the English metropolis. Mr. Penfield 
has many unusual and interesting inci- 
dents to tell of his days as courier and of 
the many interesting sights he saw be- 
tween posts. On July 4, 1919, he sailed 
from Brest for the United States, and was 
discharged from Camp Mills on the 24th 



134 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



of the same month. After his discharge 
Mr. Penfield returned to Stamford and 
took up his duties as vice-president of the 
Traut & Hine Manufacturing Company, 
and since that time has been actively en- 
gaged in looking after his business in- 
terests. 

His fraternal affiliations are with the 
Masonic order, and he is a member of 
Union Lodge, No. 5, Free and Accepted 
Masons, and of the American Legion. 



FROST, General Russell, 

Lawyer, Active in World War. 

For many centuries back in English 
history there is found mention of the 
Frost family. There was a Henry Frost 
of Cambridge, who founded the hospital 
of the Brothers of St. John in 1135, out 
of which grew St. John's College, Univer- 
sity of Cambridge. 

(I) The ancestor of General Russell 
Frost's branch of the family, Edmund 
Frost, was born in Hartest, County Suf- 
folk, England, about 1600, a son of Rev. 
John Frost, a non-conformist minister. 
On October 16, 1634, Edmund Frost with 
his wife Thomasine, and infant son John, 
sailed for America on the "Great Hope," 
which was shipwrecked off Great Yar- 
mouth, England. Fortunately, all the pas- 
sengers were saved. Again they sailed, 
August 10, 1635, on the ship "Defense," 
arriving the following October at Boston. 
Edmund Frost settled at Cambridge, 
where he was stationed a freeman, and 
died July 17, 1672. His will is on record 
there. In Cambridge, Edmund Frost was 
a ruling elder of Rev. Thomas Shepard's 
church. 

(II) Thomas Frost, eighth son of Ed- 
mund and Thomasine Frost, was born in 
Cambridge, about 1647. He served as a 
private from Cambridge with Captain Jo- 
seph Sill's company of militia, in King 



Philip's War. In 1685 he was a towns- 
man of Sudbury; in 1700 was constable; 
and in 1712, tithing man. Thomas Frost 
was one of the eighteen original members 
of the First Congregational Church. He 
married, November 12, 1678, Widow 
Mary (Gibbs) Goodridge, daughter of 
Matthew Gibbs. 

(III) Samuel Frost, son of Thomas 
and Mary (Gibbs-Goodridge) Frost, was 
born November 23, 1686, in Sudbury, and 
died at Framingham, August 2, 1736. He 
was a farmer, a member of the Framing- 
ham Church, and an elder in that insti- 
tution. He married, February 1, 1710, 
Elizabeth Rice, a descendant of Edmund 
Rice. 

(IV) Amasa Frost, son of Samuel and 
Elizabeth (Rice) Frost, was born Janu- 
ary 24, 1717, in Framingham, Massachu- 
setts. He served in Colonel Joseph 
Buckmaster's company of militia from 
Framingham, April 26, 1757, in the 
French and Indian War. He was an early 
settler of Williamsburg, Massachusetts, 
where he lived, and was a deacon in the 
church at its organization in 1771. He 
died there, January 6, 1795. He married 
Abigail Livermore, of Framingham, a de- 
scendant of Joseph Livermore. 

(V) Deacon John Frost, son of Amasa 
and Abigail (Livermore) Frost, was born 
December 22, 1759, in Framingham, and 
in 1765 removed to Hatfield, Massachu- 
setts. He enlisted there in the Revolu- 
tion before sixteen years of age, and 
served from October, 1775, to July, 1778. 
He removed in 1823 to Western New 
York, first locating at Knowlesville, and 
later in Evans, Erie county, New York, 
where he died October 16, 1853, m his 
ninety-fourth year. He married, April 12, 
1781, at Williamsburg, Massachusetts, 
Amy Tenant, born February 22, 1761, died 
in 1816, at Sandgate, Vermont. 

(VI) Russell Frost, son of Deacon 



135 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



John and Amy (Tenant) Frost, was born 
in Williamsburg, Massachusetts, Febru- 
ary 7, 1787, and died November 8, 1865. 
He went to New Hartford, Oneida 
county, New York, then removed to 
Skaneateles, New York, and bought a 
farm. He built a home on the western 
shores of Skaneateles Lake. Russell 
Frost was a member of the Society of 
Friends. He married, May II, 181 1, at 
Sullivan, Madison county, New York, 
Louisa Allen, born August 16, 1789, died 
September 6, 1871, daughter of Caleb 
Allen ; they celebrated their golden wed- 
ding in 1861. 

(VII) Caleb Allen Frost, son of Rus- 
sell and Louisa (Allen) Frost, was born 
September 12, 1814, in New Hartford, 
New York, and died in Delhi, New York, 
December 30, 1892, in his seventy-ninth 
year. He was educated in the public 
schools of Central New York, and in early 
manhood became a cloth manufacturer. 
He was the owner of a woolen mill in 
Delhi, New York, and later a hardware 
merchant in the same town. About ten 
years before his death he retired from 
active business. Mr. Frost was a Greeley 
Republican, and held various town and 
county offices. While his religious scru- 
ples would not let him fight in the Civil 
War, he was active in organizing com- 
panies, and went to the front with them, 
performing valuable non-combatant serv- 
ice. Mr. Frost married Mary Griswold, 
born February 16, 1824, died December 
n, 1910, daughter of Horace and Mary 
(Eells) Griswold, and granddaughter of 
Joshua Griswold. Horace Griswold was 
a descendant of the old Griswold family 
of Connecticut, and among his ancestors 
were the Colonial governors, Edward and 
Matthew Griswold. 

(VIII) General Russell Frost, son of 
Caleb A. and Mary (Griswold) Frost, was 
born February 18, 1850, in Delhi, New 



York. At fifteen years of age he left 
school and entered the employ of the 
Delaware National Bank of Delhi ; at 
eighteen he was acting cashier of that 
bank, then for a year he was associated 
with his father in the hardware business. 
The desire for a college education was so 
strong, however, that he entered Dela- 
ware Academy of Delhi, where he pre- 
pared for college entrance. He was 
graduated from Yale College in the class 
of 1877 with high honors, and having 
pursued his law studies in Delhi, was ad- 
mitted to practice in New York, in 1879. 
He was assistant to the district attorney 
of Delaware county for two years, and 
after three years' practice in Delhi was 
appointed by the Federal government a 
pension inspector, assigned to duty as an 
assistant to the United States district at- 
torneys in cities in Ohio, Kentucky, In- 
diana, and other States, in the prosecu- 
tion of forgery, perjury and frauds in 
connection with pension cases. 

In November, 1885, he resigned from 
the government service and began the 
practice of law in South Norwalk, Con- 
necticut. His practice became active in 
litigated cases ; he was a forceful trier of 
causes before the jury, conspicuous as a 
skillful and resourceful cross-examiner of 
witnesses, and an eloquent advocate. He 
specialized in electric and street railway 
law and practice ; he was active in secur- 
ing charters for new roads and the exten- 
sion and operation of lines from Norwalk 
into and through adjoining towns in the 
western part of Fairfield county. He was 
a leader in the establishment of the Town 
Court of Norwalk, and the first judge by 
unanimous choice of the General Assem- 
bly of that court, holding the office for six 
years and until his professional practice 
compelled his retirement. 

In 1897 he was chosen as representative 
of Norwalk in the General Assembly, 



136 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



where he served as chairman of the Com- 
mittee on Cities and Boroughs. He was 
a successful leader in many contests aris- 
ing out of reports from this committee. 
He acquired recognition as a promoter of 
good legislation and a fair and effective 
debater. He rendered conspicuous serv- 
ice in doing away with numerous State 
commissions doing perfunctory work, or 
whose duties were overlapping or cross- 
ing each other. As a result of his efforts, 
commissions were consolidated under 
unified heads, making for efficiency and 
economy in the administration of the busi- 
ness of the State. 

Immediately on coming to Norwalk, he 
became identified with military activities. 
He served for six years as captain of 
Company D, 4th Infantry, Connecticut 
National Guard. From that rank he was 
elected by the officers of that regiment as 
colonel, and continued in that command 
until January 5, 1897, when he was pro- 
moted by the governor of the State as 
brigadier-general, commanding the mili- 
tary forces of the State. In 1904 he was 
selected by the War Department of 
Washington to command a brigade in 
General Frederick D. Grant's Division in 
joint military maneuvers by regular and 
State troops at Manassas and Bull Run, 
Virginia. He was the only National 
Guard officer to be chosen by the Secre- 
tary of War for that high command. In 
his brigade were regular army troops, as 
well as those from several Northern and 
Southern States. After eleven years' 
service as brigade commander, and twen- 
ty-one years of continuous military serv- 
ice, he retired in December, 1907. 

After five years as vice-president of the 
First National Bank of South Norwalk, 
General Frost became president of that 
bank in 1895 and held that office for seven 
years. 

General Frost was made a Mason in 



Delhi, New York, in 1881, and is still a 
member of Delhi Lodge. He is a member 
of the South Norwalk Lodge, Benevolent 
and Protective Order of Elks ; belongs to 
the Sons of the American Revolution ; and 
is one of the council of the Connecticut 
Society of Colonial Wars. He is a mem- 
ber of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Society 
at Yale, of the University Club of New 
York City, the Yale Club of that city, 
and a former member of the Army and 
Navy Club of New York. General Frost 
is a trustee of the Norwalk Hospital As- 
sociation. He belongs to the Congrega- 
tional church of South Norwalk. 

In the Spanish-American War, Connec- 
ticut's quota was less than a brigade, and 
General Frost was not therefore eligible 
for service in his rank, but he was active 
in the preparation of the organizations 
which went into that service. He is an 
honorary member of McKinley Camp, 
Spanish War Veterans of Norwalk. 

Although disqualified by the age limit 
for active service in the World War, Gen- 
eral Frost was actively engaged in the 
promotion of enlistments and forming 
organizations for service. He was chair- 
man of the Mayor's Committee of Safety 
appointed to preserve order and guard 
against attempted injury to property or 
person by sympathizers with the enemy ; 
he cooperated in this work with the 
United States Secret Service. He was 
head of the Military Department of the 
Fairfield County Mobilization of Re- 
sources Association, and traveled over the 
State in the interest of that work. He 
was chairman of the Norwalk War Bu- 
reau, cooperating with the State and 
National Councils of Defense. He was 
chairman of the United War Work cam- 
paign for the maintenance of the seven 
relief and welfare organizations serving 
American soldiers overseas and in camps 
and cantonments on this side. In Lib- 



137 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



erty Loan drives, and other war and relief 
activities, General Frost was a constant 
and reliable worker, and in continuous 
demand as a "four-minute" speaker. In 
promoting the local organization of the 
American Legion he was active. He is 
an honorary member of the Veterans of 
Foreign Wars ; is a supporter of the work 
of the Salvation Army ; and for five years 
was chairman of the Norwalk Council, 
Boy Scouts of America. He was the 
chairman and organizer of the noted 
welcome-home celebration given at Nor- 
walk to the soldiers, sailors and marines 
returning from the World War. 

General Frost has active business in- 
terests in New York City, where he is 
a director in several financial and com- 
mercial corporations, and is a member of 
the Chamber of Commerce of the State 
of New York. 

On May 27, 1885, General Frost was 
married to Augusta Ayres Ely, daughter 
of Hon. Dudley P. and Charlotte (Phelps) 
Ely, of South Norwalk. Hon. Dudley P. 
Ely was a prominent banker, with busi- 
ness interests in New York. He was the 
first mayor of the city of South Norwalk, 
and its leading citizen. The Ely family 
and the Phelps family in the maternal 
line of Mrs. Frost are among the oldest 
in Colonial history. General and Mrs. 
Frost were the parents of Russell Frost, 
3rd, of whom further. 

(IX) Russell Frost, 3rd, son of Gen- 
eral Russell and Augusta A. (Ely) Frost, 
was born July 6, 1890. He was graduated 
from Yale University in June, 1914, with 
the degree of A. B., and is engaged in 
business in New York City. He married 
Mary Burnell, of South Norwalk, daugh- 
ter of Dr. J. J. Burnell, February 14, 1917, 
and they are the parents of two children : 
Mary Augusta, born November 5, 1917; 
and Russell Frost, 4th, born March 25, 
192 1. 



RUNGEE, William Charles, 

Lawyer, Public Official. 

A leading member of the Fairfield 
county bar and prominent among the 
legal fraternity of Greenwich, Connecti- 
cut, William Charles Rungee holds a 
place of well deserved esteem. He was 
born in New Britain, Connecticut, Janu- 
ary 17, 1874, son of Henry John and Paul- 
ine F. (Liefield) Rungee, and grandson 
of John Henry Rungee, a lumber mer- 
chant. John Henry Rungee was the fa- 
ther of one son, of further mention ; and 
two daughters. 

Henry John Rungee, son of John Henry 
Rungee, was born September 22, 1840, 
and went to England with his parents. 
They remained in that country, but when 
Henry John was about twenty years old, 
he came to America. Previous to this 
time he had been serving an apprentice- 
ship at the wood-turning trade and this 
occupation was the one he followed after 
his arrival in America. At first he lo- 
cated at Elizabeth, New Jersey, thence 
removing to New Haven, Connecticut. 
In the latter city he was employed by the 
Hooker Company, an old established car- 
riage manufactory, and also by the New 
Haven Wheel Company. Another old 
firm in New Haven was the Bradley Com- 
pany, and Mr. Rungee was in charge of 
their woodworking department for many 
years. After leaving this firm he estab- 
lished his own business in New Haven, 
Connecticut, and was very successful until 
his death, which occurred May 15, 1896. 

Mr. Rungee married, November 2, 1871, 
Pauline F. Liefield, daughter of Charles 
Augustus Liefield, who in 1854 located 
in New Haven. At this time his daugh- 
ter, Pauline F., was one and one-half 
years old ; she was born May 14, 1852. 
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Rungee 
were : Augustus Henry ; William Charles, 



138 




n 



cU£<xs<ui 



*/-«& 







ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



of further mention ; Elizabeth N. ; Julia 
Marie (Yale University, 1904, women's 
department), married Professor Charles 
P. Sherman, Yale, 1896, a member of the 
Yale faculty ; Edward John, graduated 
Ph. B. in 1900 from Yale University, and 
is now a resident of San Diego, Califor- 
nia ; Benjamin Frederick, Yale Univer- 
sity, 1904, men's department ; Lillian A., 
married Charles J. Schliff, of Waterbury; 
Harry Albert, graduated B. A. from Yale 
University in 1912, and is now engaged 
in teaching in Kansas City, Missouri ; and 
Clarence Raymond, ex-1909, Yale Uni- 
versity. The Rungee family were mem- 
bers of the Baptist church in New Haven, 
which was founded by the Grandfather 
Liefield. 

William Charles Rungee, son of Henry 
John and Pauline F. (Liefield) Rungee, 
received his education at the Sargent 
School in New Haven. For four years, 
from 1891 to 1895, he was assistant at the 
Yale Library, and during this time con- 
tinued his studies under private tutors. 
In 1895 he went to Hartford, Connecticut, 
and entered the employ of the Capewell 
Company as an inspector, remaining for 
four years. He then entered Yale Law 
School, and in 1903 received his degree of 
LL. B., being admitted to the bar the 
same year. For two years Mr. Rungee 
practiced in New Haven, removing in 
1905 to Greenwich, Connecticut, where he 
was associated for about four years with 
the late Hon. Robert J. Walsh, former 
secretary of State of Connecticut. Soon 
after this time, Mr. Rungee opened an 
office of his own and has since been alone 
in practice. 

Mr. Rungee has ever been interested in 
public matters, and has several times been 
honored with public office. He is a Re- 
publican, and has represented that party 
in the Legislature, in 191 3 serving on the 
Judiciary Committee. For two years Mr. 



Rungee was assistant prosecuting attor- 
ney, and has been a delegate to several 
party conventions. 

During the World War he was active 
in all of the "drives," and was a member 
of the Legal Advisory Committee of the 
Draft Board. With his family, Mr. Run- 
gee attends the Second Congregational 
Church, and is superintendent of the Sun- 
day school ; he has served as treasurer of 
the church, and as clerk of the council. 
The fraternal affiliations of Mr. Rungee 
are ; Member of Acacia Lodge, Free and 
Accepted Masons, of Greenwich ; Hart- 
ford Lodge, Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows ; and Greenwich Lodge, Benevo- 
lent and Protective Order of Elks. 

Mr. Rungee married, on September 7, 
1908, Adeline Husted, daughter of Mills 
Hobby Husted, and they are the parents 
of two children : Gladys Muriel and Mar- 
ion Carol, twins, born December 18, 1912. 
Mrs. Rungee is recording secretary of the 
Israel Putnam Chapter, Daughters of the 
American Revolution, through Captain 
Mead on her mother's side and Mills 
Hobby on her father's side. 



FINCH, Rev. Wallace H., D. D., 

Clergyman, Author, Lecturer. 

Finch is an old New England family 
and figures quite prominently in the early 
annals of Connecticut and New York 
State. Finchville, in Orange county, is 
named in honor of John Finch, the first 
immigrant in that section, who came from 
Horse Neck, Connecticut, and settled in 
Goshen, New York, the tradition being 
that he was the first adult buried in the 
graveyard of Goshen Church. His son, 
James Finch, settled in town of Wall- 
kill, his farm now being the site of the 
village of Middletown. When marching 
to the ill-fated field of Minisink during the 
Revolution, Colonels Phillips and Wisner 



139 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



with their troops were entertained at his 
house, and arrangements made for him 
to feed the soldiers on their return next 
day. But there were few of his friends 
and neighbors who returned. He also 
served in the army. A branch of the fam- 
ily headed by Ebenezer Finch, born in 
Stamford, Connecticut, settled in Greene 
county, Xew York, in the town of Green- 
ville. 

The first of the name in America was 
Daniel Finch, who came in Governor 
YVinthrop's fleet and settled in Water- 
town, Massachusetts, where he was made 
a freeman, May 18, 1631. He removed to 
Wethersfield, Connecticut, where he was 
constable in 1636; removed to Stamford, 
Connecticut, where he was one of the 
original proprietors ; and in 1653 to Fair- 
field, Connecticut, where he made a con- 
tract marriage, December 25, 1657, with 
Elizabeth Thompson, widow of John 
Thompson, and died in March, 1667. His 
will names a son Nathaniel. Daniel 
Finch had a brother, Abraham, who was 
killed in open Indian warfare. 

(I) The earliest records of this line 
that have so far come to light are of Solo- 
mon Finch, who passed nearly all of his 
life in Ramapo, New York. On Novem- 
ber 26, 1782, he purchased land that is 
now a part of Tuxedo Park, and the orig- 
inal deed, now in Dr. Finch's possession, 
is one of those rare documents sealed with 
a drop of the grantor's blood. Solomon 
Finch enlisted for military service in the 
Revolutionary War, but it was held that 
his value to the colonies was greater as 
an iron worker than as a soldier in the 
field, and he was discharged, returning to 
his forge. He was a Presbyterian in re- 
ligious faith. 

(II) Thomas Finch, son of Solomon 
Finch, was born in what was then Ra- 
mapo, New York. Like his father, he was 
an iron worker and resided all his life 



within a radius of a few miles from the 
iron works. He served in the War of 
1812, and his widow drew a pension based 
upon this service. He and his wife, Abi- 
gail, were members of the Presbyterian 
church. 

(III) John H. Finch, son of Thomas 
and Abigail Finch, was born in 1832. He 
learned the trade of iron worker and fol- 
lowed that calling throughout his life. 
He served in the Union army in the Civil 
War, enlisting in Company C, 124th Reg- 
iment, New York Volunteer Infantry, and 
saw two years, nine months, and twenty- 
six days of active service, being wounded 
in the battle of Antietam. He was a 
member of Suffern (New York) Post of 
the Grand Army of the Republic. The 
family were Presbyterians in religious 
faith, but attended the Methodist Episco- 
pal church for convenience. John H. 
Finch married Mrs. Catherine Bowen, 
daughter of Jacob Wood, of Haverstraw, 
New York, and widow of Hiram Bowen, 
who was killed in the first attack on 
Petersburg. There were two children of 
her first marriage : Minnie, who married 
William B. Miller, of Toledo. Ohio; and 
Georgia, who married Charles Gregory, of 
Center Valley, New York. Children of 
John H. and Catherine (Wood-Bowen) 
Finch: Wallace H., of whom further; 
Fannie B., married Alfred J. Lawler, of 
Yonkers, New York ; and Cora, who mar- 
ried Raymond B. Johnson, of Springfield, 
Massachusetts. 

(IV) Wallace H. Finch, son of John 
H. and Catherine (Wood-Bowen) Finch, 
was born June 12, 1874, and when twelve 
years of age became employed in the 
Ramapo Iron Works, where he remained 
until he was nineteen years of age. In 
this none too easy school he gained a 
knowledge of men and motives of human 
nature, that subsequent courses in psy- 
chology could scarcely improve upon, an 



140 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



experience that has proved of inestimable 
value in ministerial work. Always an 
omnivorous reader, during his years in the 
mill he supplemented his scanty educa- 
tion with reading which, while varied in 
character, was always of the most sub- 
stantial nature. At the age of nineteen 
years he entered Claverack Preparatory 
School in Columbia, New York, and from 
there went to Moody's School in Mount 
Hermon, Massachusetts. Three years in 
New York University followed, and dur- 
ing the last year of this time he also car- 
ried his first year's work in Drew Theo- 
logical Seminary, Madison, New Jersey, 
whence he was graduated with the degree 
of Bachelor of Divinity in 1904. 

In this same year he was ordained in 
New York City into the ministry of the 
Methodist Episcopal church and was as- 
signed to his first pastorate in Pine Bush, 
New Jersey, where he remained for but 
a short time. When Dr. William F. An- 
derson, the present Bishop, was elected 
secretary of the Board of Education of 
the Methodist Episcopal church in May, 
1904, Rev. Finch was invited to the pulpit 
of his church in Ossining, New York, a 
charge he held until 191 1. His pastorate 
here was most successful and resulted in 
substantial church growth along all lines. 
At this time Bishop Smith appointed Mr. 
Finch district superintendent of the New- 
burgh district of the Methodist Episcopal 
church, and at the time of his appoint- 
ment he was the youngest man appointed 
to that important office in the history of 
the Conference. Complimentary as the 
honor was, the purely administrative 
character of the work was not to Dr. 
Finch's liking, for his heart is in pastoral 
work, so in September, 1912, he was re- 
leased at his own urgent request. He 
accepted a call to St. Andrew's Methodist 
Episcopal Church, New York City, and 



in the following year, when that church 
was moved in the general forward move- 
ment of the denomination in New York, 
Dr. Finch came to Stamford, Connecticut, 
as pastor of the First Methodist Episco- 
pal Church. The church property was 
much run down when he came to the 
parish, and Dr. Finch made his first ma- 
terial work its renovation, which was ac- 
complished at an expenditure of $36,000. 

The decade of his ministry has been 
a most happy and fruitful term of service, 
rendered so by the spirit of zealous de- 
votion he has brought to his work. Dr. 
Finch believes that men should not 
choose the ministry in the manner that 
other professions are chosen, but rather, 
that the minister is chosen by God, that 
therefore he has a divine mission in the 
world and a commensurate responsibility 
that permits of no perfunctory, routine 
service. He places Christianity high 
above codes of ethics or morals, and a 
practical idealism guides him in all his 
work. To his pastoral duties he brings an 
indefatigable industry and a kindly sym- 
pathy that enable him to accomplish a 
vast amount of work and to mingle in 
mutual benefit with his people. This 
communion is enlivened by Dr. Finch's 
almost irrepressible sense of humor 
which, often finding unconscious expres- 
sion, not only lends enjoyment to social 
intercourse but is a delightful attribute 
to his public speaking. 

His gift of oratory is natural, and this, 
with his wide reading, has given him emi- 
nent qualifications for the lecture plat- 
form. Dr. Finch has filled engagements 
in many places in Connecticut, Massa- 
chusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, and 
New Jersey, and among his best known 
lectures are those entitled : "Burns, Scot- 
land's Chiefest Ornament of Song," "Bed- 
ford's Immortal Brazier," "The Magic 



141 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Maker," and "Mothers of Men." The first 
named seems to have wakened the hearti- 
est response from his audiences, although 
Dr. Finch does not rate it so highly as 
some of his other lectures. In 1904 he 
toured the Burns country and added to his 
intimate knowledge of the poet's work all 
the feeling that can only come from the 
local color and atmosphere of the scenes 
among which Burns lived and wrote. In 
the past, Dr. Finch has done a great deal 
of after-dinner speaking, for which he has 
been in great demand. Dr. Finch is the 
author of "The Plumb Line," and "Help- 
ers of Your Joy," published by Eaton & 
Main in 1911-12. Dr. Finch has con- 
tributed extensively to the religious 
press, "The Christian Advocate," of New 
York ; "Zions Herald," of Boston ; and the 
"Methodist Review," of New York, which 
is the oldest review published in the 
country. 

In 1912 Syracuse University conferred 
upon Rev. Finch the degree of Doctor of 
Divinity, a distinction unexpected and un- 
sought. Dr. Finch is an interested par- 
ticipant in public affairs, and has always 
borne a full share of the civic burden. He 
fraternizes with Radium Lodge, Free and 
Accepted Masons, of Ossining, and New- 
burgh Lodge, Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows. He is also a member of the 
Masonic and Clergy clubs, of New York 
City. Dr. Finch finds his chief recrea- 
tion in hunting and fishing, and the sev- 
eral open seasons have generally found 
him in the field with rod of gun. 

Rev. Dr. Finch married Phebe Secor, 
daughter of James and Loretta (Hill) 
Secor, of Cornwall, New York. James 
Secor was a soldier in the Union army, 
enlisting from Haverstraw, New York, 
whence he moved to Cornwall. Rev. Dr. 
and Mrs. Finch are the parents of Ade- 
laide Catherine, born in 1906, and John 
Wallace, born in 191 1. 



WILLIAMS, Edward Drake, 

Manufacturing Chemist. 

The name of Williams is of Welsh de- 
rivation ; it is derived from the verb, 
"gwylio," meaning to watch. The noun 
of this verb is "gwylyn," and means a 
watcher, a sentinel, and thus it is plainly 
seen that the name is derived from a 
military occupation. The Williams fam- 
ily, of which Edward Drake Williams is 
a scion, was early settled in Pomfret, 
Connecticut. The great-great-grandfa- 
ther of Mr. Williams was John Williams, 
of Pomfret. He was the father of David 
Williams, whose son, Silas Williams, was 
born in Pomfret, February 4, 1750, and 
died at Royalton, Vermont, October 20, 
1843. He came to Royalton in 1780, and 
located a plot of land, where he built a 
log house. The following year he re- 
moved from Pomfret with his wife and 
two children, and became one of the lead- 
ing men of Royalton. He was a surveyor, 
lister, moderator, and in 1784 was rep- 
resentative to the Legislature. Silas 
Williams married Mary Flynn, daughter 
of Richard Flynn. She was born January 
29, 1749, in Pomfret, and died March 13, 

1835- 

David Williams, son of Silas and Mary 
(Flynn) Williams, was born February 
3, 1788, and died May 9, 1864, in Royalton. 
He was a farmer and a useful citizen of 
his community. He married, December 
3, 1812, Eunice Crandall, daughter of 
Gideon and Esther (Rix) Crandall, born 
October 6, 1788, in Royalton, and died 
there, March 2, 1871. 

Silas R. Williams, son of David and 
Eunice (Crandall) Williams, was born 
in Royalton, April 14, 1823, and died at 
Essex Junction, Vermont, August 24, 
1890. He was educated in the district 
schools and the Royalton Academy. It 
was his ambition to go to college, but 
142 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



being the youngest son and the only one 
remaining at home, it became necessary 
for him to assume the responsibilities of 
the home farm. He continued to culti- 
vate it until 1872, in which year he re- 
moved to Essex Junction and purchased 
the restaurant in the station of the Cen- 
tral Vermont railroad. It was while Mr. 
Williams was in this business that Ed- 
ward Phelps missed his train and wrote 
the famous poem about Essex Junction. 
Subsequently Mr. Williams was ap- 
pointed agent at Royalton and went there 
to assume the duties of the position, but 
died shortly afterwards. During the 
Civil War Mr. Williams volunteered his 
services, and was appointed sergeant by 
Governor Smith. The men on the regis- 
tration knew, however, that he was 
needed at home and they took advantage 
of the excuse that was often used by the 
less patriotic, and Mr. Williams' enlist- 
ment was refused on the ground that his 
teeth were too poor to bite the cartridges. 

Mr. Williams married, September 12, 
1853, Julia Ann Smith, daughter of Wil- 
liam and Sarah (Parkhurst) Smith; she 
was a native of Randolph, Vermont. They 
were the parents of five children, four of 
them growing to maturity : Robert S., 
now a resident of Monte Vista, Colorado ; 
Lottie E., deceased, married Frank E. 
Bowman, of Winthrop, Massachusetts ; 
Clara E., married Homer S. Drury, of 
Essex Junction, and is the mother of five 
sons ; Edward Drake, of further men- 
tion. The Williams family attended the 
Congregational church of Essex Junction 
for many years, and Mr. Williams served 
as deacon and was otherwise active in 
church work. 

Edward Drake Williams, son of Silas 
R. and Julia Ann (Smith) Williams, was 
born in Royalton, Vermont, November 13, 
1866, and attended the public schools of 
Essex Junction, and then was a student 



at the Burlington High School. He en- 
tered the University of Vermont, and 
specialized in the study of chemistry, 
graduating in 1888 with the degree of 
Ph. B. The year following his graduation 
Mr. Williams taught chemistry at his 
alma mater, resigning to enter the employ 
of the Frederick Crane Chemical Com- 
pany, at Short Hills, New Jersey. For 
thirty-one years Mr. Williams was con- 
tinuously identified with this business, 
though the name of the concern was 
changed several times, and is now known 
as the Celluloid Zapon Company. He 
went to work there as a chemist and after 
a year was made superintendent, a posi- 
tion he has held since that time. Mr. 
Williams has seen the industry rise from 
comparatively small size until he now has 
about eight hundred men under his direc- 
tion. He was a director of the company 
until the Atlas Powder Company took 
over the business. 

Fraternally, Mr. Williams is a member 
of Union Lodge, No. 5, Free and Accepted 
Masons, of Stamford ; Rittenhouse Chap- 
ter, Royal Arch Masons ; Washington 
Council, Royal and Select Masters ; Clin- 
ton Commandery, Knights Templar, of 
Norwalk ; Lafayette Consistory, Sublime 
Princes of the Royal Secret ; and Pyramid 
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of 
the Mystic Shrine, of Bridgeport. 

In politics Mr. Williams is a Repub- 
lican, and has been an active worker since 
coming to Stamford. While a resident of 
Short Hills he served as a member of the 
Town Council and as town treasurer. 

Mr. Williams and his family are mem- 
bers of the Presbyterian church, and he 
is an elder of the church and superinten- 
dent of the Sunday school. Mrs. Wil- 
liams is secretary of the Women's Mis- 
sionary Society. 

Mr. Williams married Lena E. Ferrin, 
daughter of Dr. C. M. and Marion E. 



143 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



(Benedict) Ferrin, of Essex Junction. 
Their children are: i. Marion J., a grad- 
uate of the Connecticut Woman's College 
at New London ; she is now instructor in 
dietetics in the Kansas State College. 2. 
Gertrude F. 



PALMER, Frank Wyllis, 

Enterprising Citizen. 

Men of action are the men who make 
history. In all ages the world has 
watched the man of action, taken notes 
of his achievements, and handed them 
down from generation to generation in 
more or less permanent form. So it is 
eminently fitting that these pages should 
be covered with records of the achieve- 
ments of men of the present day. It is 
not only the spectacular that holds mean- 
ing for the student of history. The con- 
stant, daily upward trend of civic life 
and public ethics, and the steady march 
of progress, are borne onward and for- 
ward by the men who cease not the 
wholesome, constructive activities that 
build up and sustain the integrity of the 
community. Such a man is Frank Wyllis 
Palmer, of the Lockwood & Palmer Com- 
pany, hardware merchants of Stamford, 
Connecticut. 

The origin of the name of Palmer is 
connected with one of the most interest- 
ing epochs in history. Previous to the 
eleventh century surnames were not com- 
mon, but after the Crusades they began to 
be considered of importance, as at the 
present time. The name of Palmer is one 
of the most ancient of surnames. It was 
first a title given to those pilgrims of 
the Crusade who returned from the Holy 
Land, bearing palm branches in their 
hands, and from that custom it followed 
that the name was used as a surname. 

(I) Henry Palmer, the progenitor of 
this family in America, was born, it is 



believed, in County Somerset, England, 
about 1600. He settled in Watertown, 
Massachusetts, before 1636. He removed 
to Wethersfield, Connecticut, about 1637, 
and the records show that he had a home- 
stead there in 1645, tnen later, about 1650, 
he lived in Greenwich. He died about 
1660, mourned by all the little pioneer 
community he had helped to found. He 
married twice, the name of his first wife 
being Katharine, and the second, Judith, 
Children : Deborah, born February 5, 
1643 ! Hannah, born August 14, 1645, mar- 
ried Isaac Stiles; and Ephriam, of whom 
further. 

(II) Ephriam Palmer, son of Henry 
and Katharine Palmer, was born April 
5, 1648, died August 19, 1684. He was 
granted, May 23, 1673, ten acres of land 
in Greenwich. The same year he was 
granted interest in outlands lying between 
Mianus and Byram rivers. He married, 

in 1668, Sarah , who survived him 

and afterwards married Gregory. 

Children of Ephriam and Sarah Palmer: 
Joanna, born 1669 ; Sarah, born in 1671 ; 
Judith, born in 1673, married Samuel Ray- 
mond ; Susannah, born in 1675 ; Ephriam, 
born October 24, 1677; Mary, born in 
1679; John, of whom further. 

(III) John Palmer, son of Ephraim and 
Sarah Palmer, was born in 1681. He 
married (first) Sarah Close, who died 
September 1, 1748, aged seventy-four; he 
married (second) Mary . 

(IV) Messenger Palmer, son of John 
and Sarah (Close) Palmer, was born in 
1718, and died January 28, 1792. In the 
May session of the General Court, in 
1762, he was commissioned lieutenant of 
the Train Band in Greenwich, and was 
commissioned captain in 1764. These 
commissions would indicate that he was 
a man of great importance in the com- 
munity. He became possessed of large 
land holdings on the Mianus river, on 



144 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



what is now known as Palmer's Hill. He 
married (first) Hannah Ferris, daughter 
of Joseph Ferris, who died on February 
18, 1746. He married (second) Sybil 
Wood, daughter of John Wood, of Brook- 
haven, Long Island, and she died April 
I 3. I 754- He married (third) in 1755, 
Mrs. Esther Palmer. 

(V) Jeremiah Palmer, son of Messen- 
ger and Sybil (Wood) Palmer, was born 
October 17, 1751, and died September 25, 
1825. He was a farmer and served as a 
soldier in the Revolutionary War. In 
1779 he married Mary Ferris, daughter of 
James Ferris. She was born on February 
27, 1757, and died June 3, 1832. 

(VI) James Ferris Palmer, son of Jere- 
miah and Mary (Ferris) Palmer, was 
born March 3, 1780, and died April 14, 
1842. He worked as clerk in a store in 
Stamford, and became the proprietor be- 
fore his marriage. He carried it on as a 
general store, and the post-office was lo- 
cated there. After a few years, failing 
health compelled him to give up business 
life, and he took charge of the farm on 
which he had formerly lived. He married 
(second) February 15, 1822, Sally B. 
Scofield, daughter of Gershom and Lydia 
(Bell) Scofield, of Darien. She was born 
October 28, 1786, and died on April 3, 
1863. Gershom Scofield was a lieutenant 
in the Revolution ; he died in 1824, aged 
seventy-five years. He always preserved 
his powder horn, on which he had carved 
while in the service, "Liberty, Property, 
and no Tax in America." 

(VII) Charles Scofield Palmer, son of 
James Ferris and Sally B. (Scofield) Pal- 
mer, was born July 30, 1827, and died 
March 13, 1904. He received his educa- 
tion in the public schools, growing up 
among the wholesome and interesting 
activities of the farm. He learned the 
carpenter's trade, but spent more time on 
the farm than in following his trade. He 

Conn— 8— 10 



was very successful in his chosen line of 
work, and his place became one of the 
most prosperous and well-kept in the 
neighborhood. For about thirty years it 
was called Westover Farm, and this name 
was gradually applied to the whole local- 
ity. The house was built by Jeremiah 
Palmer when he was married, and is still 
in the family, being now carried on as a 
dairy farm by Herbert M. and Harry L. 
Palmer. They keep about ten cows, and 
with the milk they buy throughout the 
neighborhood, handle about one thousand 
quarts a day, selling direct to the con- 
sumer in Stamford. Charles Scofield 
Palmer lived to see his sons take up the 
work in which he had felt such pride and 
interest, and to see them established in 
the confidence and esteem of his lifelong 
neighbors. Mr. Palmer married, July 17, 
1858, Mary E. Ferris, daughter of Na- 
thaniel Ferris, of Stamford. She was 
born November 19, 1836, and died June 
20, 1909. Of their seven children, six 
grew to maturity : Frank W., of further 
mention ; Carrie May, born December 16, 
1861 ; Wilbor Ray, born December 10, 
1863, who died May n, 1910; Herbert 
M., born December 16, 1865, on the old 
homestead ; Harry L., born June 8, 1868, 
who married Caroline E. Fenwick, Octo- 
ber 3, 1894; Helen W., born October 22, 
1870, who married Robert T. Woodbury, 
of Springdale, Connecticut, May 8, 1898 ; 
and Ellis F., of Stamford, born September 
2, 1875. 

(VIII) Frank Wyllis Palmer, vice-pres- 
ident and treasurer of the Lockwood & 
Palmer Company, of Stamford, was born 
in that city, September 16, 1859, and is the 
eldest son of Charles Scofield and. Mary E. 
(Ferris) Palmer. He was well grounded 
in the fundamentals of a practical educa- 
tion in the public schools of Stamford, 
then went to work in the woolen mills at 
Roxbury. He remained there about four 



M5 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



years, when he returned to Stamford and 
entered the employ of the Yale & Towne 
Manufacturing Company. With charac- 
teristic energy he took up their work, re- 
maining with them for about five years, 
and then entered the employ of Henry 
Lockwood. This was an entirely different 
line of work, but so well did he apply 
himself to the mastery of the business and 
to the interests of his employer that after 
a time he was invited to become a partner 
in the business. The partnership was 
formed in July, 1897, when Mr. Palmer 
had been with Mr. Lockwood for thirteen 
years. At that time the firm name be- 
came Lockwood & Palmer, but in 1914 
the business was incorporated under the 
name of the Lockwood & Palmer Com- 
pany, with Mr. Lockwood as president. 
Always an aggressive and up-to-the-min- 
ute business man, gifted with an unusu- 
ally broad mental grasp, he put new life 
into the business, and the company has 
gone forward to splendid success. The 
present building covers a floor space of 
sixty-six by eighty-five feet. In 1902 
three stories were built to give adequate 
space for all future development. But 
men of this stamp, business houses of this 
caliber, are the forces that have made 
Stamford one of the banner cities of the 
East in growth and development, and 
with the growth of the city the business 
of the Lockwood & Palmer Company has 
grown beyond even the bounds set for it 
by the expectations of the members of 
the firm themselves. It was necessary to 
add two stories more only a few years 
later, and the imposing home of the busi- 
ness still inadequately suggests the im- 
portance of the mercantile interests 
housed therein. Finely equipped, the line 
carried consists of hardware, house-fur- 
nishing goods and agricultural imple- 
ments. The increased use of automobiles 
and their accessories led the company to 



discontinue some time ago the complete 
line of carriages, harnesses, etc., which 
comprised an important part of their 
business formerly. Mr. Palmer has made 
for himself a place of dignity and im- 
portance in the business life of Stamford. 
Personally he is an active, energetic man, 
keenly alive to all the interests of the day, 
whether or not they bear directly upon 
the business in which he is engaged. He 
is a man whom it is the pride of Amer- 
ican men to call a representative citizen. 

The family are members of the Congre- 
gational church, of which Mr. Palmer has 
served as deacon. For some years he 
has been an influential member of the 
business committee, where his experience 
and natural ability are of inestimable 
value to the church organization. 

Mr. Palmer married Cordelia M. White- 
head, daughter of Martin Whitehead, of 
Durham, New York, and they are the 
parents of one son, Clarence Wyllis, who 
was born March 3, 1896. He was gradu- 
ated from King's School, of Stamford, and 
was a student at the New York University 
when he left to enter the Red Cross Am- 
bulance Corps and went to France. He 
made a splendid record of devotion to 
duty at the front, and attained the rank of 
sergeant-major. Since his return home 
he has been in the employ of the Lock- 
wood & Palmer Company. 



KEOGH, John, 

Lawyer, Served in World War. 

The surname of Keogh in Gaelic is 
Eochaidh and means a horseman. It is of 
the class of names derived from an occu- 
pation, and is among the names found in 
Ireland at the close of the sixteenth cen- 
tury. The Keogh family, of which John 
Keogh, attorney and referee in bankruptcy 
of South Norwalk, is a member, was early 
settled in the vicinitv of Dublin. Ireland. 



146 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



John Keogh, grandfather of John (2) 
Keogh, was born in the vicinity of Dub- 
lin, Ireland, and grew to manhood. The 
Christian name of his wife was Mary, and 
they were the parents of Daniel Keogh, 
who was born near Dublin, Ireland, com- 
ing to America in 1868 or 1869, being then 
a young man. He first located in New 
York, then went to New Haven, Connec- 
ticut, and later to Bridgeport, Connecti- 
cut, finally removing to Norwalk, same 
State. He died October 21, 1904. Dan- 
iel Keogh married Frances McMacken, 
daughter of Thomas McMacken, who was 
born in Glasgow, Scotland, died July 31, 
1906, aged fifty-seven years, in South 
Norwalk, Connecticut. Thomas Mc- 
Macken married Sara Macllhenney, 
whose mother, Jennie (Fulton) Macll- 
henney, tradition says, was a cousin of 
the inventor of the steamboat, "Robert 
Fulton." Mr. and Mrs. Keogh were the 
parents of nine children, seven of whom 
grew to maturity : John, of further men- 
tion ; Thomas, Daniel, Sarah E. ; Stephen 
F., now deceased ; Jeremiah, and Harry W. 

John (2) Keogh, son of Daniel and 
Frances (McMacken) Keogh, was born 
in New Haven, Connecticut, December 
15, 1871. He was educated in the Bridge- 
port and Norwalk public schools. In 
1897 he graduated from the Yale Law 
School with the degree of LL. B., and the 
same year was admitted to the bar. Until 
twelve years ago Mr. Keogh was engaged 
in practice alone; in 1908 he formed a 
partnership with Nehemiah Candee, a 
sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this 
work, under the firm name of Keogh & 
Candee. Their practice is a general one 
and they are among the most successful 
lawyers of Fairfield county. For two 
years Mr. Keogh served as judge of the 
City Court, and was corporation counsel 
of Norwalk for five years. 

In politics Mr. Keogh is a Democrat, 



and is a staunch advocate of that party's 
principles. On January 1, 1920, he was 
appointed referee in bankruptcy for Fair- 
field county. Mr. Keogh serves as a 
member of the board of directors and is 
counsel for the People's Trust Company 
of South Norwalk. Fraternally he is a Ma- 
son, Odd Fellow, and Elk, and was first 
commander of the local post of the Amer- 
ican Legion. At the outbreak of the 
World War, Mr. Keogh, who had seen 
service in the Connecticut National Guard, 
enlisted as a candidate at Plattsburg, New 
York, and was later commissioned, serv- 
ing with the 76th Division in France, 
where he was made a captain and as- 
signed to the staff of Major-General 
Harry F. Hodges. 

Mr. Keogh married, in 1898, Nana V. 
Pearson, daughter of Thomas and Caro- 
line Pearson, and they have two children : 
Jack, born February 25, 1910 ; and Fran- 
ces, born August II, 1912. 



GREGORY, George, 

Metallurgist, Legislator. 

The English antecedents of Henry 
Gregory, founder of the family in Amer- 
ica, were of distinguished lineage, trac- 
ing from Gregorious, whose son, John 
Gregory, was lord of the manors of 
Ashfordby, Leicestershire and Freseley, 
Shropshire, England. He married Maud 
Moton, daughter of Sir Roger Moton, 
Knight of Peckleton. John Gregory was 
living A. D. 1162. His son, Nicholas 
Gregory, was the father of Adam Greg- 
ory, of Highhurst, Lancashire, who mar- 
ried a daughter of Adam Ormeston, of 
Ormeston, in the same county. The coat- 
of-arms of the Highhurst Gregory fam- 
ily was : 

Arms — Party per pale, argent and azure, two 
lions rampant averse, counterchanged. 



147 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



The next in line was William Gregory, 
of Highhurst. Most genealogies call him 
the son of Adam, but one writer says he 
was a lineal descendant. William Greg- 
ory married Dorothy Parr, of Kemp- 
enhaughe, Lancashire, and her family 
claimed descent from Sir William Parr, 
of Parr (an ancestor of Queen Katharine 
Parr, wife of Henry VIII.) and his wife, 
Elizabeth (de Ros) Parr, who was de- 
scended from Baron de Ros, one of the 
twenty-five barons appointed to compel 
King John to obey the Magna Charter. 
Robert was also a crusader, and married 
Isabel, natural daughter of King William 
the Lion, of Scotland. Robert was de- 
scended from the Earls of Warren and 
King Henry I of France. William Greg- 
ory had a son, Hugh, who married Maria 

. Their son, Thomas Gregory, of 

Overbroughton, Nottinghamshire, mar- 
ried Dorothy Buston. Their son, John 
Gregory, of Broughton, Sutney, Notting- 
hamshire, married Alice . Of their 

children, William, made a fortune as a 
grazer, and was alderman, mayor and 
member of Parliament from Nottingham. 

(I) Henry Gregory, brother of William 
Gregory, and the founder of the family in 
New England, was born in Nottingham- 
shire, England, about 1570. He was in 
Boston, Massachusetts, before 1639, and 
in Springfield, Massachusetts, not long 
after, and was reckoned as one of the 
worthiest citizens of that town. The his- 
tory of Stratford, Connecticut, shows 
Henry Gregory as a resident of that place 
in 1647. I n tnat year his son, John, tes- 
tified as his father "was old and that his 
eyesight had failed him." If he was born 
in 1570, as seems probable, he was sev- 
enty-seven years of age in 1647. He was 
a shoemaker. No doubt he combined 
with work at his trade the labors of a 
husbandman during the growing season, 
as was the custom of shoemakers until 



within a period remembered by people 
now living. The assessments against him 
for taxes and the inventory of his estate 
show him to have won a fair measure of 
success through industry and thrift under 
the trying conditions of pioneer life. He 
died in 1655, and his will was proved June 
19 of that year. In the history of Spring- 
field, his wife is referred to as "Goody 
Gregory." Henry Gregory had several 
sons and two daughters: 1. John. 2. 
Judah, married Sarah Burt, of Spring- 
field, in 1643. 3- Samuel, married a daugh- 
ter of Henry Wakelee. 4. Elizabeth, mar- 
ried Richard Webb, one of the original 
settlers of Hartford. 5. A daughter, mar- 
ried William Crooker, of Stratford, in 
1638. The daughters were no doubt older 
than their brother, Samuel. 

(II) John Gregory, eldest son of Henry 
Gregory, was born in Nottinghamshire, 
England, probably between the years 1600 
and 1610. The date of his last recorded 
deed was 1689, and the first notice of his 
death appears in 1694, and he was at that 
time a very old man. If the family came 
to America between the years 1635 and 
1638, as supposed, he was already a man 
of mature years and had already accum- 
ulated some wealth. He had been reared 
in a superior environment among dis- 
tinguished relatives, men of affairs, and 
their influence had doubtless ripened in 
him the character and habits of a leader 
which he continued to exhibit in the new 
home. While he is found mentioned in 
histories of Springfield and Stratford, it 
would seem tTiat New Haven was the first 
town with which he was identified as a 
resident for several years. He repre- 
sented that town in the General Court. 
His favorite sister, Elizabeth, had become 
the wife of Richard Webb, the wealthy 
Hartford resident who first signed the 
agreement with Roger Ludlow for 
the settlement of Norwalk, and it is more 



148 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



than probable that the two families re- 
moved together to Norwalk. At any 
rate, John Gregory was one of the thirty 
original settlers of that town and his 
home lot was number one. He had 
mowed hay in the town in the summer of 
1653. He became a large land owner and 
a leader of his community. He repre- 
sented Norwalk nine times in the Legis- 
lature at its May sessions and eight times 
at its October sessions. His first term 
was in 1662. He served on a committee 
with three other citizens appointed in 
1670, to settle the boundary line between 
Norwalk and Saugatuck rivers. He mar- 
ried Sarah and their children were : 

I. John. 2. Jachin, removed to Wilton, 
Connecticut, in 1625. 3. Judah, removed 
to Danbury. 4. Joseph, baptized July 26, 
1626. 5. Thomas, baptized March 19, 
1648. 6. Phebe, married, in 1670, John 
Benedict. 7. Sarah, born December 3, 
1652, married James Benedict, brother of 
Phebe's husband. 

(Ill) Judah Gregory, son of John and 
Sarah Gregory, was born about 1643, an ^ 
died about 1733. He was an early settler 
of Norwalk and Danbury. On October 
20, 1664, he married Hannah Haite, 
daughter of Walter Haite (Hoyt). Wal- 
ter Haite was born about 1618. He was 
living in Windsor, Connecticut, in 1640 
and 1644. He was deputy fourteen ses- 
sions; made sergeant in 1659; selectman 
in 1672, and his death occurred about 
1698. His father, Simon Hoyt, was prob- 
ably born as early as 1595. He was of 
Charlestown, Massachusetts, in 1628-29; 
Dorchester in 1633 ; Scituate about 1635 ; 
Windsor, Connecticut, about 1639 or 1640 ; 
Stamford, Connecticut, between 1657 and 
1658; Fairfield, Connecticut, before 1659, 
and before his death was at Stamford 
again. He died there September 1, 1667. 
His wife, Susannah, died before Febru- 
ary, 1674. 



(IV) John (2) Gregory, son of Judah 
and Hannah (Haite) Gregory, was born 
March 17, 1668, and died in 1758. The 
Christian name of his wife was Hannah. 

(V) Ebenezer Gregory, son of John 
(2) and Hannah Gregory, was born as 
early as 1737, and died November 13, 1809, 
in his seventy-fourth year, and is buried 
in North Street Cemetery, Danbury, Con- 
necticut. He lived in Danbury. He mar- 
ried, July 12, 1768, Phebe Booth, daugh- 
ter of Abel Booth, of Newton, and she 
died September 26, 1818, aged eighty-one 
years. Their children were: 1. Huldah, 
born April 9, 1769, died January 12, 1774. 
2. Caleb, of whom further. 3. Esther, 
born November 23, 1772. 4. Abel Booth, 
born October 28, 1774. 5. Huldah, born 
August 19, 1776, died October 12, 1778. 
Ebenezer Gregory had a nail shop on his 
house lot, which he deeded to his son, 
Abel B., in 1802. 

(VI) Caleb Gregory, son of Ebenezer 
and Phebe (Booth) Gregory, was born 
October 10, 1770, and died December 2, 
1849. He lived in Danbury, and in 1801 
received by deed from his father land in 
Wigwam in compensation for his services 
between the ages of twenty-one and twen- 
ty-seven. Caleb Gregory married Fanny 
Brewer, daughter of Peter Brewer, and 
she died July 18, 1825, at the age of fifty- 
two years. Their children were : Stephen 
Townsend, Harry, William Harvey, of 
whom further ; Ira ; Abel ; Eliza, died July 
24, 1831, aged twenty-one years; Maria, 
married Aaron Pierce ; Phebe, died Octo- 
ber 28, 1805, aged two years, five months, 
five days. 

(VII) William Harvey Gregory, son of 
Caleb and Fanny (Brewer) Gregory, was 
born in Danbury, in 1804, and died in 1891. 
He spent most of his life in Darien, Con- 
necticut, and in his young manhood was 
a carpenter and joiner, but after some 
years went into the lumber business. Mr. 



149 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Gregory was a man of progressive ideas, 
but very quiet and unassuming in man- 
ner. He married Mary Ann Richards, 
daughter of Ambe and Sally (Dibble) 
Richards, of Darien. She was born in 
1810, and died in 1868. 

(VIII) George Gregory, son of Wil- 
liam Harvey and Mary Ann (Richards) 
Gregory, was born March 20, 1835, and is 
now living at the advanced age of eighty- 
six years (1921). He was educated in 
the public schools, and at the age of six- 
teen years became apprenticed to the 
blacksmith's trade. He was only twenty- 
five years old when he was made foreman 
of what was then the largest blacksmith 
shop in New Haven. In 1880 he went to 
South Bend, Indiana, to take charge of a 
shop for the Studebaker Brothers, but on 
account of ill health was obliged to re- 
turn East after about fourteen months. 
After that he engaged for many years in 
carpentering and farming. One notable 
achievement of his career was the mas- 
tery of the art of welding copper, and also 
copper to iron, something very seldom at- 
tempted. For many years Mr. Gregory 
has resided at Xoroton Heights in the 
town of Darien, where he is held in high 
esteem. He was a member of the Legis- 
lature. Mr. Gregory married Sarah Jane 
YVhitlock, daughter of Wakeman and Bet- 
sey M. (Slawson) YVhitlock. Their chil- 
dren were: Henry W., William H., and 
Ira O., sketches of whom follow. 

(The Richards Line). 
(I) Samuel Richards, the ancestor of 
Mrs. Gregory, was born in England, prob- 
ably in Staffordshire. He came to this 
country as a soldier at the time of Queen 
Anne's War, March 31, 1713. He was 
then in his youth. He applied for a dis- 
charge from the army which was refused. 
Later, however, he was fortunate enough 
to escape and eventually came to Nor- 



walk, Connecticut, where he settled and 
became one of the most useful and dis- 
tinguished citizens there. He served as 
grand juryman in 1734, and as ty thing- 
man in 1743. Samuel Richards married 
(first) March 7, 1714, Elizabeth Latham, 
daughter of Jonathan Latham, of Nor- 
walk, born in 1692, died in 1751. She 
was the mother of John, of whom further. 

(II) John Richards, son of Samuel and 
Elizabeth (Latham) Richards, was born 
February 16, 1720-21, and died May 5, 
1790. He married, January 19, 1742-43. 
Rebecca Fitch, born in 1720, died October 
15, 1801 ; they resided in what is now 
West Xorwalk, and John Richards served 
as grand juror in 1750. 

(III) John (2) Richards, son of John 
(1) and Rebecca (Fitch) Richards, was 
born in Xorwalk, Connecticut, and bap- 
tized July 28, 1744. He was a cordwainer 
by occupation. He married, in Ridgefield, 
Connecticut, February 5, 1766, the Widow 
Abigail Olmstead. 

(IV) Ambe Richards, son of John (2) 
and Abigail (Olmstead) Richards, was 
born September 23, 1773. He married, in 
1801, Sally Dibble, daughter of John Dib- 
ble. This line has not yet been definitely 
traced back of Reuben Dibble, the grand- 
father of Sally Dibble. Reuben Dibble 
was born February 6, 1732-33, and mar- 
ried (first), March 16, 1758, Anne Sher- 
wood, who presented a son, John, for bap- 
tism on December 16, 1759. 

(The Whitlock Line). 

Justus Whitlock, born February 12. 
1764, formerly of Greenfield, Massachu- 
setts, married, July 19. or 29. 1781, Abi- 
gail Meeker, of Redding, Connecticut, 
(see Meeker). 

Walter Whitlock. son of Justus and 
Abigail (Meeker) Whitlock, born Febru- 
ary 22, 1782, was made freeman in Red- 
ding, Connecticut. Married, December 24. 

SO 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



1799, Anna Morgan Gorham, born in Red- 
dington, Connecticut, September 1, 1782, 
daughter of Isaac Gorham, Jr. (see Gor- 
ham). 

(The Meeker Line). 

Abigail Meeker, who on July 19, or 29, 
1781, married Justus Whitlock, was born 
February 12, 1764, daughter of Seth 
and Abbie (Wakeman) Meeker. Samuel 
Meeker, father of Seth Meeker, was born 
about 1700, and married Abigail Greg- 
ory. Their residence was on Cross High- 
way, Westport, Connecticut. His father, 
Daniel Meeker, married Elizabeth, daugh- 
ter of Richard Ogden, ancestor of the Og- 
den family. His father, Robert Meeker, 
married, in Branford, Connecticut, in 
1640, Susannah Tuberfield, and his will 
is dated 1651. 

(The Gorham Line). 

(I) The Gorham family was established 
in England in the time of the Norman 
Conquest. James Gorham, born in 1550, 
in Benefield, Northamptonshire, Eng- 
land, married, in 1572, Agnes Bernington. 
He died in 1576. His descent is trade 
from the De Gorrams, of La Tanniere, 
near the village of Gorram in Maine on 
the borders of Brittany as early as the 
beginning of the twelfth century. In 
1 158, Giles De Gorham, led an expedition 
to the Holy Land and returned to La Tan- 
niere in 1 162. Several of the family fol- 
lowed William the Conqueror to Eng- 
land. The Gothambury Manor in Hert- 
fordshire was in the possession of the 
Gorhams from quite early in the twelfth 
century until 1307, when John and his 
wife, Isabella, sold the reversion of the 
estate after their deaths and thus it passed 
from the family. In 1338, a William de 
Gorham was living in Oundle, a place 
near Benefield. 

(II) Ralph Gorham, son of James Gor- 
ham, was born in 1575 m Benefield. He 



died about 1643. He came with his fam- 
ily to New England, and was in Plymouth 
in 1636. 

(III) Captain John Gorham, son of 
Ralph Gorham, was baptized in Benefield, 
England, January 28, 1620-21, and came to 
New England in 1635 in the ship "Philip." 
He married, in 1643, Desire Howland, 
daughter of John and Elizabeth (Tilly) 
Howland (a Mayflower passenger) and 
granddaughter of John Tilly and wife 
Vandevelde, who also came in the "May- 
flower." On October 4, 1675, John Gor- 
ham was appointed captain of the Sec- 
ond Company of Plymouth forces in King 
Philip's War, and died from exposure in 
the Great Swamp Fight. He was buried 
February 5, 1675-76, in Swansea, Massa- 
chusetts. Desire Howland, born in Ply- 
mouth in 1623, was one of the first chil- 
dren born in the Colony. She died Octo- 
ber 13, 1683, in Barnstable, Massachu- 
setts. In 1646 Captain Gorham removed 
to Marshfield, where two years later he 
was chosen constable. He was made 
freeman in 1650; was a member of the 
Grand Inquest in 1651 ; removed to Yar- 
mouth in 1652. There he was elected to 
the Plymouth Colony Court in 1653. He 
was surveyor of wards in 1654 ; selectman 
of Barnstable in 1673-74; in 1673 was ap- 
pointed lieutenant of the Plymouth force 
in the Dutch War. He was a farmer 
and tanner, and also owned a grist mill. 
In 1669 the Plymouth Court granted him 
one hundred acres at Papasquosh Neck, 
and in 1677 confirmed the grant to his 
heirs forever for the services he had per- 
formed. A similar grant of land in Gor- 
ham, Maine, was also participated in by 
his heirs. 

(IV) Jabez Gorham, son of Captain 
John and Desire (Howland) Gorham, 
was born in Barnstable, Massachusetts, 
August 3, 1656. He married a widow, 
Mrs. Hannah Gray, daughter of Edward 

51 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



and Alice or Elizabeth Sturges. He died 
May 3, 1725, in Bristol, Rhode Island, and 
she died March 13, 1739. He also served 
in King Philip's War and was wounded. 
In 1680 he was constable in Yarmouth, 
Massachusetts, and on the Grand Inquest 
in 1683. 

(V) Joseph Gorham, son of Jabez and 
Hannah (Gray) Gorham, was born in 
Bristol, Rhode Island. Concerning his 
marriage, historians differ. The Gorham 
chart in the Fairfield Family Book states 
that he married Abigail Lockwood, of 
Fairfield, April 7, or May II, 1715. She 
was born November 28, 1694, and died 
January 23, 1724-25. Orcutt's "History of 
Stratford" states that Joseph Gorham 

married (first) Sarah , and was 

then of Stratford. The Sturges geneal- 
ogy gives Sarah Sturges as the name of 
his wife. There is a dispute that he mar- 
ried a Sarah at all unless he was thrice 
married. He married (second or third) 
Deborah Barlow, daughter of John and 
Abigail (Lockwood) Barlow, January 13, 
1725-26. She was born May 3, 1705-06, 
and died January 25, 1778. He removed 
from Bristol and was in Stratford as early 
as 1715. He was a cordwainer by trade. 

(VI) Isaac Gorham, son of Joseph Gor- 
ham, was born November 14, 1730, ac- 
cording to the Fairfield Family Book. 
The Fairfield church records give date of 
his baptism as September 30, 1729, while 
his tombstone in the Sanfordtown Church 
in Redding gives his age as sixty-eight 
years, eights months, ten days, when he 
died July 4, 1798, and this would make 
his birthday, October 24, 1729. On July 
25, 1752, he married Ann Wakeman, born 
October 24, 1728, and died June 11, 1808, 
daughter of Joseph, Jr. and Abigail (Al- 
len) Wakeman. The town of Redding 
deeded him part of a highway on the 
easterly side of the Mill Common, De- 
cember 13, 1769. His negro slave, "Tone," 



was baptized April 11, 1772. Isaac Gor- 
ham and Ann Gorham, were received into 
the church in Redding on producing a 
certificate of Greens Farms, and were in 
good standing there January 24, 1762. He 
was a farmer, and lived on the river run- 
ning to Saugautuck, about one-quarter of 
a mile west of their homestead. 

(VII) Isaac (2) Gorham, son of Isaac 
(1) and Ann (Wakeman) Gorham, was 
born, according to his tombstone, Novem- 
ber 15, 1761, and died in Redding, May 4, 
1813. He married, March 4, 1780, Sarah 
Morgan, born October 21, 1763, died Jan- 
uary 7, or 17, 1836, daughter of John 
Morgan. Their daughter Anna M. married 
Walter Whitlock (see Whitlock line). 

(The Morgan Line). 

Sarah (Morgan) Gorham, who on 
March 4, 1780, married Isaac Gorham, Jr., 
died January 7 or 17, 1836, aged seventy- 
two years, two months and sixteen days, 
according to her tombstone in the Red- 
ding Cemetery. 

John Morgan, father of Sarah (Mor- 
gan) Gorham, was born December 27, 
1736. He married, January or February, 
1758, Joanna Banks, born December 1, 
1739, daughter of Joseph and Joanna 
Banks. 

Captain James Morgan, father of John 
Morgan, was born April 1 or 2, 1716, in 
Eachchester, New York. He married 
(first) April 7, 1736, Anne Morehouse, 
born September 14, 1718, daughter of 
John and Ruth (Barlow) Morehouse. He 
served in Captain Bradley's company for 
relief of Fort William Henry. He rode 
on horseback from Fairfield, and served 
sixteen days from August 7 to August 23, 

1757- 

James Morgan, father of Captain James 
Morgan, married Abigail Fowler, daugh- 
ter of Henry Fowler, Sr., of Eastchester, 
New York. 



152 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Charles Morgan, father of James Mor- 
gan, married Elizabeth Feke, daughter of 
Widow Mary Feke. The latter made her 
will, June 20, 1691. 

Charles Morgan, father of Charles Mor- 
gan, came, it is said, from Wales. He 
married (first) February 9, 1648, in New 
Amsterdam, Helena Applegate. He mar- 
ried (second) Catlyntje Hendricks. 

(The Banks Line) 

(I) This branch of the family was es- 
tablished in America by John Bank, prob- 
ably a native of England. He spent some 
years in Wethersfield, Connecticut, where 
he was town clerk in 1643. There he mar- 
ried Mary Taintor, daughter of Charles 
Taintor, who afterwards also located in 
Fairfield. Soon after 1649, with Roger 
Ludlow, deputy governor, he went to 
Fairfield, where he was granted a home 
lot, and also acquired land by purchase. 
He was a lawyer and at once took an im- 
portant part in public affairs. From 165 1 
to 1666, he represented Fairfield in the 
General Assembly. Later he settled in 
Rye, New York, and from 1670 to 1673 
represented that town in the General As- 
sembly. About 1675-76, he was appointed 
one of the Indian Council. 

(II) Benjamin Banks, son of John 
Bank, was married, June 29, 1679, to 
Elizabeth Lyon, daughter of Richard 
Lyon. Benjamin Banks died about 1693. 

(III) Joseph Banks, son of Benjamin 
and Elizabeth (Lyon) Banks, was born 
December 29, 1691, and died January 4, 
1766. He married, June 25, 1712, Mary 
Sherwood, daughter of Benjamin and 
Sarah Sherwood. Both were admitted 
to the Greenfield church, July 10, 1726. 
Mrs. Banks died June 13, 1779. 

(IV) Deacon Joseph (2) Banks, son of 
Joseph (1) and Mary (Sherwood) Banks, 
was born April 12, 1713. He married, in 
Greenfield, March 29, 1737, his first cous- 



in, Joanna Banks, daughter of Benjamin 
and Ruth (Hyatt) Banks. He settled in 
Redding, Connecticut, and died July 8, 
1802. Their daughter, Joanna Banks, 
married John Morgan. 

(The Morehouse Line). 

(I) Thomas Morehouse, the immigrant, 
was in Wethersfield, Connecticut, in 
1640. He removed to Stamford, Connec- 
ticut, the following year, and in 1653 
bought twenty-four acres of land on 
"Sasco Hill," and ten days later bought 
the grist mill there. He died in 1658. 
Thomas Morehouse married Isabel 
Keeler, daughter of Ralph Keeler, sup- 
posed to have been his second wife and 
not the mother of his children. 

(II) Lieutenant Samuel Morehouse, 
son of Thomas Morehouse, was born in 
Fairfield, Connecticut, as early as 1637. 
He was granted land in the "Long Lots," 
extending back to near the center of Red- 
ding. He died in 1687. He married Re- 
becca O'Dell, daughter of William and 
Rebecca O'Dell, of Concord, Massachu- 
setts. The latter were in Southampton, 
Long Island, in 1642, and later in Fair- 
field, Connecticut. Their daughter was 
baptized in Concord in 1639. 

(III) John Morehouse, son of Lieuten- 
ant Samuel and Rebecca (O'Dell) More- 
house, was born in Fairfield, Connecticut, 
a "yeoman," as early as 1668. He died 
there in 1727. John Morehouse married 
Ruth Barlow, daughter of John, Jr. and 
Abigail (Lockwood) Barlow. John Bar- 
low, Sr. married Ann. or Anna . 

His will is dated May 28, 1674. Thomas 
Barlow married Rose, daughter of Tho- 
mas Sherwood, and widow of Thomas 
Rumble. She was eleven years old when 
her father, Thomas Sherwood, Sr., emi- 
grated to America in 1634. Thomas Bar- 
low's will is dated September 8, 1658, and 
mentions his wife and seven daughters, 



153 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



but no sons. John Barlow, Sr. was living 
at the time and it is the opinion of some 
genealogists that he was the son of Tho- 
mas Barlow, even though not mentioned 
in his will. 

(IV) Ann Morehouse, daughter of John 
and Ruth (Barlow) Morehouse, was bap- 
tized November 2, 1716. According to 
her father's will, in 1727, she was then 
eleven years old, but according to the 
Family Book, Fairfield, she was born 
September 14, 1718. She married, April 
7, 1736, Captain James Morgan. She died 
November 5, 1735. 

(The Slason-Slawson Line). 

(I) George Slason made his will, De- 
cember 19, 1694, and changed it the fol- 
lowing January. He speaks of his wife, 
who was then alive, and three children, 
Eleazer, John and Hannah. 

(II) John Slawson, youngest son of 
George Slason, was born in 1645. He 
married (first) November 12, 1663, Sarah 
Tuttle, daughter of William Tuttle, of 
New Haven. She was baptized in April, 
1642, and was killed by her brother, Ben- 
jamin, with an axe, November 17, 1676. 
He was supposed to be insane, but was 
executed, June 13, 1677. John Slawson 
married (second) Elizabeth Benedict, 
daughter of Deacon Thomas Benedict, of 
Norwalk, Connecticut. 

(III) Jonathan Slawson, second son 
and third child of John and Sarah (Tuttle) 
Slawson, was born July 25, 1670-71. At 
his death, November 19, 1727, he was 
called ensign. He married (first) Febru- 
ary 4, 1 699- 1 700, Mary Waterbury, daugh- 
ter of John Waterbury, of Stamford. She 
was born March 20, 1679, and died May 
12, 1710. He married (second) July n, 
171 1, Rose Stevens, born October 14, 
1683, daughter of Obediah and Rebecca 
(Rose) Stevens. 

(IV) David Slawson, son of Jonathan 



and Rose (Stevens) Slawson, was born 
December 28, 1713. He married, in April, 
1735, Eunice Scofield. David Slawson 
was in service sixteen days in 1757, in a 
militia company under Captain David 
Hanford, of Norwalk, Colonel Jonathan 
Hait's regiment, on alarm for relief of 
Fort Henry. 

(V) Jonathan (2) Slawson, son of Da- 
vid and Eunice (Scofield) Slawson, was 
born February 28, 1736-37, and died Au- 
gust 31, 1820, in New Canaan. He mar- 
ried, December 2, 1762, Lydia Lockwood, 
born February 9, 1741-42, daughter of 
Robert Lockwood. 

(VI) Jonas Slawson, son of Jonathan 
(2) and Lydia (Lockwood) Slawson, was 
born February 19, 1780. He married, June 
3, 1802, Hannah Wright, born December 
9, 1785, daughter of Dennis and Lois 
(Newel) Wright. Dennis Wright was 
born April 19, 1761, and married, March 
14, 1781, Lois Newel, born July 9, 1756. 
They apparently lived at one time in Nor- 
walk, and also owned land in New Can- 
aan. Research has thus far not disclosed 
the immediate antecedents of Dennis 
Wright, but it is supposed that he came 
from the Long Island family of that name. 

(VII) Betsey M. Slawson, daughter 
of Jonas and Hannah (Wright) Slawson, 
born September 20, 1814, died February 
20, 1876. She married Wakeman Whit- 
lock, and was the mother of Sarah J. 
Whitlock, who became the wife of George 
Gregory. 

(The Lockwood Line). 

Lydia Lockwood, who married Jona- 
than Slawson, December 22, 1762, was 
born in Norwalk, Connecticut, February 
9, 1741, according to the Lockwood gen- 
ealogy ; the family Bible, however, gives 
the year 1742. 

Robert Lockwood, father of Lydia 
(Lockwood) Slawson, was born in Green- 
wich, Connecticut, in 1714. He married, 



154 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



in June, 1739, Rachel or Jane Stevens, and 
soon after removed to Norwalk, Connec- 
ticut. He was in Salem, New York, be- 
tween 1746 and 1750, and was of New- 
burgh, in 1775. 

Still John Lockwood, father of Robert 
Lockwood, was born about 1674, in 
Greenwich, Connecticut, and died in 1758. 

Jonathan Lockwood, father of Still 
John Lockwood, was born September 10, 
1634, in Watertown, Massachusetts. On 
October 16, 1660, he was of Stamford, 
Connecticut, and five years later sold his 
estate there, removing to Greenwich, Con- 
necticut, where he was one of the twenty- 
seven proprietors. In 1671 he served as 
assistant. His death occurred May 12, 
1688. He married Mary (Marah) Ferris, 
daughter of Jeffrey Ferris, a sketch of 
whom appears elsewhere in this work. 

Robert Lockwood, father of Jonathan 
Lockwood, came from England about 
1630, and in 1641 was settled in Fairfield, 
Connecticut. There he died in 1658. 



GREGORY, Henry Whitmore, 

Judge of Probate. 

Henry Whitmore Gregory, son of 
George and Sarah Jane (Whitlock) Greg- 
ory (q. v.), was born in New Haven, Con- 
necticut, November 24, 1867. He attended 
the grammar schools of New Haven, and 
prepared for college at the Stamford High 
School. In 1891 he was graduated from 
the Sheffield Scientific School with the 
degree of Ph.B. Subsequently he read 
law under the preceptorship of J. Belden 
Hurlburt, of Norwalk, and was admitted 
to the bar in 1893. Under the firm name 
of Hurlburt & Gregory, he practiced law 
until March, 1900. In the latter year Mr. 
Gregory was elcted judge of probate and 
he has held this office continuously since 
that time. 

The voters of both parties are respon- 



sible for Judge Gregory's long service in 
the public interest. They have recognized 
his special fitness to administer probate 
matters. He knows the law ; his mind is 
logical, and his sense of fairness strong. 
Among his fellow-citizens he is held in 
the highest esteem. Other interests of 
Judge Gregory include : Director of the 
Fairfield County Savings Bank ; president 
of the Lounsbury & Bissell Company, felt 
manufacturers. Fraternally, he is a mem- 
ber of St. John's Lodge, No. 6, Ancient 
Free and Accepted Masons ; Washington 
Chapter, No. 24, Royal Arch Masons; 
Council, Royal and Select Mas- 
ters ; the Norwalk Club ; the Norwalk 
Country Club. 

Judge Gregory married Eleanor Ida 
Miller, daughter of Christian Miller, of 
Stamford. With his wife, Judge Gregory 
attends Grace Episcopal Church and aids 
in the support of its good works. 



GREGORY, William Harvey, 
Dentist. 

William Harvey Gregory, son of George 
and Sarah Jane (Whitlock) Gregory (q. 
v.), was born June 18, 1875, in New 
Haven, Connecticut. He was educated in 
the public schools of Darien. In 1894 he 
graduated from the South Norwalk High 
School, and subsequent to this time was 
engaged for a year in teaching school. He 
entered the New York College of Dentis- 
try and was graduated from there in 1898 
with the degree of D. D. S. In July of the 
same year Dr. Gregory engaged in prac- 
tice. His work is of a general nature, al- 
though he makes a specialty of treating 
teeth. Dr. Gregory is among the leading 
citizens of Stamford, and is much inter- 
ested in all that pertains to the welfare of 
that city. He is a member of Puritan 
Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows ; St. John's Club. He is also a mem- 



155 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



ber of the Connecticut State Dental Asso- 
ciation and of the National Dental Asso- 
ciation. 

On December II, 1904, Dr. Gregory 
married Harriet Martha Post, daughter 
of Nicolas Post, of Staten Island, now 
residing in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. 
The mother of Mrs. Gregory died when 
she was eleven days old and she was 
reared by an aunt, Mrs. Eben Bouton, of 
South Norwalk, Connecticut, and she as- 
sumed the name of Bouton. Dr. and Mrs. 
Gregory are the parents of two children : 
Lois Harriet, born November 13, 1905, 
and Henry William, born January 16, 
I9I5- 



GREGORY, Ira Oswin, 

Lawyer, Useful Citizen. 

Ira Oswin Gregory, youngest son of 
George and Sarah Jane (Whitlock) Greg- 
ory (q. v.), was born May 21, 1881, in 
Weston, Connecticut. He was educated 
in the public schools of Darien and Nor- 
walk, Connecticut, and graduated from 
the Yale Law School in the class of 1904, 
with the degree of LL. B. For six years 
following his graduation, Mr. Gregory 
was associated with the legal firm of 
Walsh & Hubbell, of Norwalk, and subse- 
quently engaged in practice on his own 
account. His practice is a general one 
with a large proportion of real estate law. 
He has met with success in his profes- 
sion and this has been well deserved, the 
just reward of diligence and attention to 
details. In the public life of Norwalk 
Mr. Gregory has taken his place as an 
alert and public-spirited citizen, and all 
matters of public interest are his interests. 
It seems especially fitting to find the 
scions of the oldest Colonial families oc- 
cupying places of prominence and pres- 
tige in the communities. He was one of 
the first to become interested in the Boy 



Scouts, and was first president of the 
Norwalk Council, serving for several 
years, and has held many other offices, 
evincing a decided interest in that move- 
ment. Mr. Gregory is a Mason in fra- 
ternal afiiliation, and is a member of St. 
John's Lodge, No. 6, Ancient Free and 
Accepted Masons ; Benevolent and Pro- 
tective Order of Elks ; and of the Royal 
Arcanum. 

Mr. Gregory married Edna Baker, 
daughter of Edward V. and Carrie E. 
(Duncan) Baker. Mrs. Gregory is a 
granddaughter of Tallmadge Baker, ex- 
treasurer of Connecticut. 



JENNINGS, Stanley T., 

Lawyer, Public Official. 

Stanley T. Jennings, son of James 
Stanley and Harriet Emily (Ritch) 
Jennings, was born January 9, 1873, at 
Greenwich, Connecticut. Mr. Jennings 
graduated from the New York Law 
School in 1894, and was admitted to the 
Connecticut bar at Bridgeport, in July, 
1894, and ever since has practiced law, 
first in Greenwich, his native town, for 
three years, and afterward in Stamford. 
For more than twenty years he was a 
partner of the late Edwin L. Scofield, 
under the firm name of Scofield & Jen- 
nings. Since the death of Mr. Scofield 
he has continued the practice of law 
alone. He has held the following public 
offices : Deputy judge of the City Court 
of Stamford for two terms ;' corporation 
counsel of the city of Stamford for two 
terms ; and town counsel of Stamford for 
two years, and also for the town of Da- 
rien. At present he holds no public office, 
and does not enter actively in politics as 
he did in former years. 

The ancient family of Jennings is of 
English-Saxon origin, having been seated 
in Yorkshire prior to the Norman Con- 



156 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



quest. The name has been variously 
spelled Jennyns, Jennes, as well as in the 
modern form, Jennings. 

Joshua Jennings, founder of the Amer- 
ican branch of the family, was born in 
England about 1620 to 1625, and emi- 
grated to the New England Colony about 
1645 to io 47- In the latter year he was 
in Hartford, Connecticut, and later re- 
moved to Fairfield, where he passed the 
remainder of his life. 

The grandfather of Mr. Jennings was 
Orin S. Jennings, and his gradmother was 
Mary Esther Partrick, both born in 
Ridgefield, Connecticut, and later re- 
moved to North Wilton, where they both 
died. 

The mother of Mr. Jennings was Har- 
riet Emily Ritch, who at the time of her 
marriage to James S. Jennings lived in 
Greenwich, Connecticut. Her father was 
Rufus Ritch, and her mother was Ma- 
haley Lockwood. Mr. Jennings had five 
sisters, all of whom are living and named 
as follows: 1. Sarah O., widow of J. B. 
Hendrie, of Stamford, Connecticut. 2. 
Mary Emma, widow of Thomas Newton, 
a contractor of Hartford. 3. Alice D., 
widow of Thomas Lilly, of Norwalk, Con- 
necticut. 4. Lizzie, who married Edward 
F. W. Gillespie, of Stamford. 5. Mar- 
garet Eugenia, unmarried, of Stamford. 

Stanley T. Jennings married, in No- 
vember, 1894, Lucy Holmes Hendrie, 
daughter of Joshua B. Hendrie, of Stam- 
ford, Connecticut, and by her had three 
children, now (1921), all living: Adrian 
Hendrie, Laurence Ritch; and Margaret 
Isabel, who married Harry Murray of 
Stamford. 



PERDUE, Robert E., 

Physician, Specialist. 

No list of the leading physicians, not 
of Norwalk alone, but also of Fairfield 



county, would be complete without the 
name we have just written at the head of 
this article. Dr. Perdue has a record of 
honorable service in the late war, and is 
prominently identified with the profes- 
sional and fraternal organizations of his 
community. 

The name Perdue, which is variously 
written Purdew, Purdey, Purdie, Purdy, 
and Purdye, appears to be a corruption of 
the old ejaculatory expression derived 
from the French "perdie," used thus in 
Spenser's "Fairie Queen": "That red- 
cross knight, perdie, I never slew." 

Loren O. Perdue, father of Robert E. 
Perdue, was born in Carroll county, Ohio, 
and was a man of superior education. At 
an early age he became a teacher, and 
later a professor at Purdue University. 
In the latter part of his life he retired to 
a farm in Louisiana, where he died in 
1912. Prof. Perdue married Isabel Aiken, 
daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (Van- 
derhoof) Aiken. Robert Aiken was a na- 
tive of Scotland, and at the age of twelve 
years came with a sister to the United 
States. He became a very successful 
farmer, removing in 1838 from Coshocton 
county to McArthur, and owning one of 
the first sawmills ever built and operated 
in Ohio. His marriage took place in Mc- 
Arthur, Ohio, and he and his wife became 
the parents of two daughters and a son : 
Alice, married Ira Wood, of Webster, 
Ohio, and is now deceased ; Martha, mar- 
ried D. A. Engle, of Logan, Hocking 
county, Ohio, and is also deceased ; and 
Robert E., mentioned below. The family 
were all members of the Presbyterian 
church. 

Robert E. Perdue, son of Loren O. and 
Isabel (Aiken) Perdue, was born in Mc- 
Arthur, Ohio, June 7, 1875. He received 
his preparatory education in public schools 
of his native town, passing thence to the 



157 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Ohio State University and then entering 
the Starling Medical School at Columbus. 
From the latter institution he graduated 
in 1895 with the degree of Doctor of 
Medicine. 

After a year spent in gaining experience 
in St. Francis' Hospital in Columbus, Dr. 
Perdue removed to Southport, Connecti- 
cut, in 1896, where he remained nine 
years. In 1907 he established himself in 
Norwalk, where, as a general practitioner 
and also specialist of children's diseases, 
he has built up a large and profitable 
clientele. He has for some years served 
on the staff of the Norwalk Hospital, of 
which he was in 1920 vice-president, and 
president in 1921. 

During the World War Dr. Perdue was 
in service from August, 191 7, to Febru- 
ary, 1919, being appointed medical officer 
of the Engineer Officers' Training School 
at Lee and Camp Humphries, serving al- 
so at the latter place as camp surgeon. 
Enlisting as captain, he was advanced 
shortly after enlisting in the service to the 
rank of major, and still holds that rank 
in the Reserve Corps of the United States 
army. 

The professional organizations in which 
Dr. Perdue is enrolled include the Nor- 
walk Medical Society, the Fairfield Coun- 
ty Medical Society, the Connecticut Med- 
ical Society, and the American Medical 
Association. He affiliates with St. John's 
Lodge, No. 6, Free and Accepted Masons ; 
Butler Chapter, Royal Arch Masons ; and 
the Benevolent and Protective Order of 
Elks, all of Norwalk. He also affiliates 
with the Improved Order of Red Men of 
Norwalk, and his only club is the Nor- 
walk. 

Dr. Perdue married Mary Bernard, 
daughter of David F. and Catherine Ber- 
nard, of Norwalk. 

The record of Dr. Perdue, now covering 
a period of nearly a quarter of a century, 



gives him high standing in his chosen 
profession, and as he is now in the prime 
of life it conveys assurance that further 
distinction awaits him in the years to 
come. 



TENNY, Robert Mack, 

Manufacturer. 

It is safe to say that the business men 
of South Norwalk have no more aggres- 
sive representative than the one they 
possess in the citizen whose name stands 
at the head of this article. Mr. Tenny is 
actively interested in all that concerns the 
welfare of his community, and is well 
known in its fraternal and social circles. 

The Tenny family is of English origin, 
and the name is probably an abbreviation 
of Tennyson, or Tenison, perhaps the 
same as Tynesende. Albert S. Tenny, 
father of Robert Mack Tenny, was born 
in Winchester, New Hampshire, and was 
reared on a farm. As a young man he 
went to Boston, where for some years he 
was employed in the wholesale dry goods 
business. He then entered the service of 
W. W. Lewisohn & Son, umbrella manu- 
facturers, and before long became a mem- 
ber of the firm. He was a man of ability 
and energy, and continued to be active in 
the business as long as he lived. He affi- 
liated with the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows. Mr. Tenny married Sadie E. 
Nelson, born in Foxboro, Massachusetts, 
daughter of Robert and Louisa (Dill) 
Nelson, and they became the parents of 
one child, Robert Mack, mentioned be- 
low. Mr. and Mrs. Tenny were members 
of the Warren Avenue Baptist Church, 
Boston. The death of Mr. Tenny occurred 
November 15, 1895. 

Robert Mack Tenny, son of Albert S. 
and Sadie E. (Nelson) Tenny, was born 
May 6, 1880, in Boston, and received his 
education in the public schools of his na- 



158 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



tive city. His first employment was in a 
hotel, and after a time he became a clerk 
in the Adams House, Boston, a position 
which he retained for two years. He was 
then for several years manager of the old 
Bowdoin Square Hotel, Boston. 

After resigning this position, Mr. Tenny 
went to New York City, where he became 
a salesman for William Hegeman & Com- 
pany, dealers in" bulbs and similar prod- 
ucts. For about ten years he remained 
with this concern, during the first two 
years as a salesman and afterward as a 
member of the firm. He was a factor of 
importance in the conduct of the business 
until the death of Mr. Hegeman, but 
shortly after that event, he disposed of his 
interest and severed his connection with 
the establishment. 

About twelve years ago Mr. Tenny be- 
came a resident of South Norwalk. Soon 
after withdrawing from the bulb business 
he had associated himself with the auto- 
mobile industry in Ossining, New York, 
dealing in Dodge and Buick cars, but on 
coming to South Norwalk he turned his 
attention in another direction. In No- 
vember, 1919, with his two brothers-in- 
law, Dr. L. M. Allen, of South Norwalk, 
and J. R. Wrigley, then of Bridgeport, 
but now of South Norwalk, he organized 
a company under the name of John R. 
Wrigley, Inc., the object being the man- 
ufacture of paper boxes. The firm pur- 
chased the Luther Wright building in 
South Norwalk and equipped it as a fac- 
tory, with every modern facility for mak- 
ing paper boxes. They employ on an av- 
erage about fifty persons, and their prod- 
uct is sold to manufacturers in every part 
of the State of Connecticut. 

One of Mr. Tenny's dominant charac- 
teristics is love of music, and for years 
he has found in playing the cornet a 
means of rest and relaxation from the 
cares of business. He affiliates with Old 



Well Lodge, No. 108, Free and Accepted 
Masons, of South Norwalk. 

Mr. Tenny married, in June, 1919, 
Amelia Becker, daughter of Frank C. and 
Amelia (Grupe) Becker, of Norwalk, and 
they are the parents of one child, Robert 
Mack Tenny, Jr., born April 3, 1920. 

Mr. Tenny is now enjoying the well- 
earned fruits of his energy and progres- 
siveness, and as he is in the prime of life 
there is reason to expect that the record 
of the coming years will be one of pros- 
perity and accomplishment. 



JOHNSON, Newton Samuel, 

Business Man, Public Official. 

That this is the name of one of her 
most progressive business men no citizen 
of Greenwich needs to be told, for while 
Mr. Johnson's place of business is in Port 
Chester, New York, he has been a resi- 
dent of Greenwich for more than a third 
of a century, and for eleven years has 
filled continuously and in the most satis- 
factory manner the office of first select- 
man. 

Charles Wesley Johnson, father of 
Newton Samuel Johnson, was born Au- 
gust 22, 1831, in Concord, New Hamp- 
shire, and is a descendant of New Eng- 
land ancestors. He learned the trade of 
house painter and decorator, and after his 
marriage moved to Pomfret, Connecticut, 
where he engaged in this occupation dur- 
ing all the active years of his life. Mr. 
Johnson married Elizabeth Griggs, born 
in Hampton, Connecticut, daughter of 
Jesse Griggs, and of the eight children 
born to them, the following reached ma- 
turity : Elizabeth, deceased ; Harriet, de- 
ceased ; Anna, deceased, formerly the wife 
of John W. Curtiss ; Albert, deceased ; 
George, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts ; 
Newton Samuel, mentioned below. Mr. 
and Mrs. Johnson were members of the 



[59 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Congregational church in Pomfret On 
November 26, 1902, Mrs. Johnson passed 
away, and after this sad event, her hus- 
band retired from business. He is still 
living, being now in the eighty-ninth year 
of his age and retaining, to a wonderful 
degree his physical and mental vigor, 
reading without the aid of spectacles. 
His children, with the exception of George 
and Newton Samuel, are all now deceased. 

Newton Samuel Johnson, son of Charles 
Wesley and Elizabeth (Griggs) Johnson, 
was born August 7, 1866, in Pomfret, 
Connecticut, and received his education in 
the public schools of his birthplace. He 
learned the business of a butcher and for 
several years engaged in it, during a por- 
tion of that time having his own estab- 
lishment. 

In 1882 Mr. Johnson removed to Green- 
wich and for about ten years thereafter 
continued to carry on his special line of 
business. He has always been a man of 
much enterprise and about this time 
availed himself, with characteristic alert- 
ness, of an opportunity which presented 
itself. He erected a plant for the grind- 
ing of feldspar for the purpose of supply- 
ing the potters and glassmakers in the 
Glenville section of the town of Green- 
wich, and the manner in which the busi- 
ness developed proved that the venture 
had been a wise one, large quantities of 
crushed stone being shipped to road build- 
ers. At the end of fifteen years, the sup- 
ply of raw material being exhausted, Mr. 
Johnson resumed his former business and 
for seven years prospered in it, disposing 
of his interests in 1916. 

Two years prior to this he had organ- 
ized the firm of Eddy & Johnson, in Port 
Chester, New York, and after about eight- 
een months had purchased the interests 
of his partner. Not long after, he asso- 
ciated himself with Frederick A. Bier- 



mann, the firm name becoming Johnson 
& Biermann. They do a large business 
in auto accessories, farm implements and 
general hardware, maintaining three spa- 
cious warehouses. 

In politics Mr. Johnson has always 
been a staunch Republican, and in Octo- 
ber, 1909, was elected first selectman. He 
has ever since received regularly the tri- 
bute of a reelection and now has two 
years of his present term still to serve. 

In fraternal affairs Mr. Johnson is very 
active. He affiliates with Acacia Lodge, 
No. 85, Free and Accepted Masons, of 
Greenwich, as well as with the Improved 
Order of Red Men, the Knights of Py- 
thias, and the Benevolent and Protective 
Order of Elks, these three organizations 
being also of Greenwich. He and his 
wife are members of Christ Protestant 
Episcopal Church of their home town. 

Mr. Johnson married Hattie Pine, 
daughter of Samuel and Augusta Pine, 
and a native of New York State. By 
this marriage Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are 
the parents of two sons: 1. Samuel Eu- 
gene, born May 2, 1895, now with Wil- 
liam R. Grace & Company, exporters, of 
New York; he served sixteen months in 
France as a member of Company B, Mili- 
tary Police, Twenty-seventh Division, 
and was cited for bravery. 2. Charles W., 
born July 22, 1896; now associated with 
his father in the hardware business ; mar- 
ried Beatrice Sherwood, of Armonk, New 
York, and they have one child, Charles 
W., Jr. 

Newton Samuel Johnson has made a 
worthy record both as business man and 
public official, for he is now at the head 
of a flourishing concern, and has received 
from his fellow-citizens convincing proof 
of their confidence in his ability to serve 
them and his disinterested zeal in doing 
so. 



160 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



KNAPP, Nathaniel Augustus, 

Legislator, Town Official. 

The office now so ably filled by Mr. 
Knapp does not represent his first ex- 
perience as a public official, but has come 
to him in recognition of long and faithful 
service to his community. His native 
town of Greenwich, of which he has al- 
ways remained a resident, has called him 
to serve her in various capacities, most 
notably as a member of the Legislature. 
He has shown his fidelity by his loyal 
responsiveness, and his effective, disin- 
terested work. 

The name of Knapp is of very ancient 
Teutonic origin, and signifies a top, or 
knob. The family is entitled to display 
the following escutcheon : 

Arms — Or, in chief, three close helmets sable; 
in base a lion passant, of the last. 

Crest — An arm embowed, in armor, proper, gar- 
nished, or, the hand of the first grasping by the 
blade a broken sword, argent; hilt and pommel of 
the second, with a branch of laurel, vert. 

Motto — Spes nostra Deus. 

(I) Nicholas Knapp, founder of the 
families of Greenwich and Stamford, 
Connecticut, and Rye, New York, came 
from England in 1630 with Winthrop and 
Saltonstall, and settled first in Water- 
town, Massachusetts, removing to Weth- 
ersfield, Connecticut, and finally to Stam- 
ford, where he died, in 1670. He married 

(first) at Watertown, Eleanor ; 

she died in 1658; he married (second) 
Unity, widow of Peter Brown and Clem- 
ent Buxton. His children were all by his 
first wife. 

(II) Joshua Knapp, son of Nicholas 
and Eleanor Knapp, was born in 1634, and 
was one of the original patentees named 
in the patent granted to the town of 
Greenwich. He married Hannah Close, 
daughter of Gardener Close, and his death 
occurred in 1684. 

Conn-8— 11 l6l 



(III) Joshua (2) Knapp, son of Joshua 

(1) and Hannah (Close) Knapp, was born 
in 1663, and married (first) Elizabeth 
Reynolds, daughter of Jonathan Rey- 
nolds ; (second) Abigail Butler. Joshua 

(2) Knapp died some time prior to 1750. 

(IV) Jonathan Knapp, son of Joshua 

(2) Knapp, was born about 1702, and 
married Mary Husted, daughter of An- 
gell Husted. 

(V) Joshua (3) Knapp, son of Jona- 
than and Mary (Husted) Knapp, was 
born in 1729, and married Eunice Peck, 
daughter of Theophilus and Elizabeth 
(Mead) Peck. The death of Joshua (3) 
Knapp occurred in 1798. 

(VI) Joshua (4) Knapp, son of Joshua 

(3) and Eunice (Peck) Knapp, was born 
in 1 761, and was a soldier of the Revolu- 
tion. He married Charity Mead, daugh- 
ter of Nathaniel Mead, and died in 1831. 

(VII) Nathaniel Knapp, son of Joshua 

(4) and Charity (Mead) Knapp, was born 
February 27, 1790, in Greenwich, in the 
section of the town known as Round Hill. 
For many years he conducted a general 
store. He served in the militia with the 
rank of colonel. Mr. Knapp married 
Elizabeth Close, born April 20, 1793, 
daughter of Odle and Hannah (Brush) 
Close, and their children were : Elizabeth, 
born May 5, 1813, died in 1841 ; Odle 
Close, mentioned below; Joshua, born 
October 19, 1818, died June 27, 1845 ; Na- 
thaniel Augustus, born February 25, 
1821, died February 10, 1876; Hannah 
Close, born June 4, 1823; Eunice, born 
March 29, 1826, died February 23, 1847; 
and Sarah Maria, born January 10, 1832, 
died in June, 1848. Mr. Knapp died Janu- 
ary 4, 1836, and his widow passed away 
November 25, 1840. 

(VIII) Odle Close Knapp, son of Na- 
thaniel and Elizabeth (Close) Knapp, was 
born May 26, 181 5, in Greenwich, and 
succeeded his father as proprietor of the 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



store at Round Hill, being then only 
eighteen years of age. He had grown 
up to the business and when it became 
his own, conducted it successfully for 
fifty years. He was a director of the 
Greenwich Trust Company, the Green- 
wich Savings Bank, and the Greenwich 
Fire Insurance Company. 

Mr. Knapp married (first) in 1841, 
Caroline B. Hobby, daughter of Guy B. 
Hobby, and they became the parents of 
two children : Caroline C, born Novem- 
ber 28, 1843, died August 26, 1847; a °d 
Joshua, born in 1846, died in 1869. Mrs. 
Knapp died in 1848, and Mr. Knapp mar- 
ried (second) Eunice A. Brown, whose 
ancestral record is appended to this biog- 
raphy. The children born of this mar- 
riage were the following: Sarah, born 
April 2, 1850, died January 31, 1879; Caro- 
line, born November 20, 1852, married 
Edward B. Reynolds, and died January 
24, 1878; Anna M., born December 19, 
1854, married Irving S. Balcom, a phy- 
sician, and died April 19, 1891 ; Charles 
O., born January 5, 1857, died January 15, 
1913, in Saskatchewan; Kate Augusta, 
born August 9, 1859, married Allen A. 
Knapp, and is now deceased ; John F., 
born April 19, 1861, now living at Ar- 
mour, South Dakota ; and Nathaniel Au- 
gustus, mentioned below. Mrs. Knapp 
died March 5, 1879, an d Mr. Knapp mar- 
ried (third) Mary A. Howland. The 
death of Mr. Knapp occurred November 
15, 1888. He was a member of the Con- 
gregational church, a man of strong 
character, and held in the highest esteem 
by all to whom he was known. 

(IX) Nathaniel Augustus Knapp, son 
of Odle Close and Eunice A. (Brown) 
Knapp, was born June 9, 1864, in Green- 
wich, and received his education in local 
public schools and at the Chappaqua 
Mountain Institute, a Friends' private 
school at Chappaqua, New York. At age 



of twenty-one he began his business career 
in his father's store, succeeding him as 
owner of the concern and conducting it 
for twenty-six years. He then sold out 
and engaged in business as an auctioneer 
and real estate agent, following these two 
lines of endeavor until about ten years 
ago. 

For some years Mr. Knapp was vice- 
president of the Greenwich Savings 
Bank, retaining the office until the bank 
went out of business. He was pres- 
ident of the Greenwich Fire Insur- 
ance Company until that institution was 
dissolved, and is now a director of the 
Greenwich Trust Company, in which his 
father formerly held a directorship. 

Politically, Mr. Knapp is a Republican 
and has long taken an active part in com- 
munity affairs. For about two years he 
served as registrar of voters, and then for 
four years filled the office of selectman. 
In 1899 he represented his party in the 
Legislature, serving on the Insurance 
Committee, and proving himself the dis- 
interested champion of the rights of his 
constituents. He has since filled the of- 
fice of selectman for two years, afterward 
serving for four years as town treasurer. 
In 1914 he succeeded to the office of high- 
way commissioner, which he held for six 
years, resigning to accept again the office 
of treasurer, which he now holds. 

The fraternal affiliations of Mr. Knapp 
are numerous. He is past master of 
Acacia Lodge, No. 85, Free and Accepted 
Masons, also affiliating with Rittenhouse 
Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; the Im- 
proved Order of Red Men ; the Benev- 
olent and Protective Order of Elks, in 
which he was first exalted ruler of his 
lodge ; and the Junior Order of United 
American Mechanics, of which he is a 
past counsellor. He is a director of the 
Young Men's Christian Association, and 
he and his family are members of the 

.62 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Congregational church, in which he has 
for years held the office of treasurer. He 
was for a long period superintendent of 
the Sunday school. 

Mr. Knapp married, February 7, 1889, 
Emma Louise Gilmore, daughter of 
Thomas F. Gilmore, of New Haven, and 
they are the parents of a son and a daugh- 
ter : Charles Stanley, born June 5, 1893, 
now house physician at Roosevelt Hos- 
pital ; and Anna Louise, born April 21, 
1897. 

The record of Nathaniel Augustus 
Knapp is that of an all-round man, able 
and aggressive in business, wise and far- 
seeing in public affairs, and always help- 
fully active in promoting the truest and 
most essential interests in the life of his 
community. 

(The Brown Line). 

(I) Peter Brown was born in England 
in or about 1610, and in 1638 emigrated to 
New Haven, Connecticut. About 1647 
he removed to Stamford, where he passed 
the remainder of his life. He married 

(first) in England, Elizabeth , who 

was the mother of all his children, and 
(second) Unity Buxton, widow of Clem- 
ent Buxton. Peter Brown died in 1658. 

(II) Hackaliah Brown, son of Peter 
and Elizabeth Brown, was born in 1645, 
and in 1665 settled at Rye, New York. 
He married (probably) Mary Hoit, 
daughter of John Hoit, of Stamford and 
Rye, and his death occurred in 1720. 

(III) Major Hackaliah (2) Brown, son 
of Hackaliah (1) and Mary (Hoit) 
Brown, was born about 1695, and mar- 
ried Ann Kniffen. He died in 1780, and 
his will is recorded in New York county. 

(IV) Nehemiah Brown, son of Major 
Hackaliah (2) and Ann (Kniffen) Brown, 
was born in 1726, at Greenwich, and mar- 
ried Sophia Park, daughter of Roger and 
Charlotte (Strang) Park. Nehemiah 
Brown died May 1, 1810. 



(V) Major Brown, son of Nehemiah 
and Sophia (Park) Brown, was born in 
1758, and was of Round Hill, Connecti- 
cut. He married Ruth Mead, daughter of 
Abram and Ruth (Lyon) Mead. 

(VI) Abram Brown, son of Major and 
Ruth (Mead) Brown, was born in 1795. 

(VII) Eunice A. Brown, daughter of 
Abram Brown, was born in 1822, and 
became the wife of Odle Close Knapp, as 
stated above. 



KNAPP, Charles Whittemore, 

Physician, Hospital Official. 

That this is the name of one of the 
leading representatives of the medical 
fraternity of Greenwich a large majority 
of her citizens are fully aware. In addi- 
tion to the reputation which he has estab- 
lished in his home city Dr. Knapp has a 
war record of distinguished service 
abroad. 

(I) Harry Knapp, great-grandfather of 
Dr. Charles Whittemore Knapp, was a 
son of Samuel Knapp, and a descendant of 
Nicholas Knapp, mentioned at length in 
preceding sketch. 

(II) Henry Cornelius Knapp, son of 
Harry Knapp, married Helena Bucking- 
ham, and during the greater part of his 
life was a resident of New Haven, Con- 
necticut. 

(III) Charles Lincoln Knapp, son of 
Henry Cornelius and Helena (Bucking- 
ham) Knapp, was born in New Haven, 
Connecticut. He graduated from the 
high school of that city. As a young man 
he removed to Brooklyn, New York, 
where he lived many years. He became 
a manufacturer of corsets and underwear, 
and as long as he lived was engaged in 
that business. His later years were spent 
in Poughkeepsie, New York, where his 
home and place of business were both 
situated. Mr. Knapp married (first) Lily 
Whittemore, daughter of Franklin J. 



163 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Whittemore. The original home of the 
\\ hittemores was in Hitchin, Hertford- 
shire, England, whence Thomas Whitte- 
more emigrated to Massachusetts, becom- 
ing one of the early settlers of Charles- 
town. Of the children born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Knapp, Charles Whittemore, men- 
tioned below, was the only one who 
reached maturity. Mrs. Knapp passed 
away in 1895. Mr. and Mrs. Knapp were 
members of the Congregational church 
in which Mr. Knapp was an active 
worker, holding at different times various 
offices. Mr. Knapp married (second) 
Grace Preston, and of the children by that 
marriage only one, Aletta B., is now liv- 
ing. The death of Mr. Knapp occurred 
in 1917. 

(IV) Dr. Charles Whittemore Knapp, 
son of Charles Lincoln and Lily (Whit- 
temore) Knapp, was born April 10, 1885, 
in New Haven, Connecticut. He was 
educated in Phillips Academy, Andover, 
graduating in 1904. In 1908 Yale Uni- 
versity conferred upon him the degree of 
Bachelor of Arts, and in 1912 he received 
from the College of Physicians and Sur- 
geons, New York City, the degree of Doc- 
tor of Medicine. In 1913 and 1914 he 
served in the Roosevelt Hospital, and he 
is now an associate in medicine in the 
College of Physicians and Surgeons, New 
York City. In 191 5 Dr. Knapp became 
a resident of Greenwich, where he has 
ever since been engaged in active practice, 
building up a deservedly high reputation. 
His specialty is internal medicine and 
pediatrics. He is a member of the staff 
of the Greenwich Hospital, and holds the 
office of attending physician in the Van- 
derbilt Clinic, New York City. 

At the time of the World War, Dr. 
Knapp offered his services to the govern- 
ment, and in 1918 was commissioned first 
lieutenant and assigned to Camp Jackson, 
South Carolina, where he remained two 



months, being then assigned to Fort Ben- 
jamin Harrison. He was promoted to the 
rank of captain, and on October 26, 1918, 
sailed for France, where for nine months 
he served as chief of the Medical Service 
in Brest and Tours. In May, 1919, he 
was promoted to major, and in July of 
that year was discharged. Among the 
professional organizations in which Dr. 
Knapp is enrolled are the medical so- 
cieties of the City, County and State and 
the American Medical Association. He 
belongs to the Military Order of For- 
eign Wars, the Yale Club of New York, 
and the Psi Upsilon fraternity. He is 
identified with the Congregational church, 
his wife being a member of Christ Prot- 
estant Episcopal Church. 

Dr. Knapp married, May 29, 1912, 
Phoebe Baker, daughter of William and 
Hannah (Griffin) Baker, and they are the 
parents of four children : Susan J., born 
May 30, 1913 ; Nancy Buckingham, born 
July 14, 1914 ; Phoebe Whittemore, born 
January 16, 1916; and Jane Lincoln, born 
October 24, 1918. 

The career of Dr. Knapp has opened 
most auspiciously. In its early years he 
has made a two-fold record, a record of 
honorable service both in peace and war, 
and everything indicates that the years 
to come hold assurance of further achieve- 
ment and still more pronounced success. 



KNAPP, Sylvester Livingston, 
Real Estate Dealer. 

No private citizen wields greater power 
for or against the welfare and progress of 
a community than does, to some extent, 
every man to whom is committed the 
custody of its real estate interests. When 
any one representative of this very im- 
portant factor in the development of every 
town and city happens to be a man of 
foresight and initiative, the future of the 



164 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



community, insofar as it falls within his 
own sphere of action, is fully assured. 
That Mr. Knapp is this type of man no 
citizen of^ Stamford needs to be told, nor 
does any one require to be informed that 
to business ability he joins public-spirited 
zeal for the truest interests of his neigh- 
bors and townsmen. 

(I) Isaac Knapp, grandfather of Syl- 
vester Livingston Knapp, was a native of 
Stamford, Connecticut, and a farmer in 
the Bangall district of the town. 

(II) Joshua Knapp, son of Isaac 
Knapp, was born in Stamford, Connecti- 
cut. He was a farmer and a constructor 
of stone fences. About fifty years ago he 
built the stone fence surrounding Wood- 
land Cemetery. He was a man of promi- 
nence in the community, and at one time 
held the office of justice of the peace. Mr. 
Knapp married Mary Provost, daughter 
of Samuel Provost, and sister of Henry S. 
Provost, who is represented in this work 
by a biography containing the Provost 
genealogy. 

(III) Sylvester Livingston Knapp, 
son of Joshua and Mary (Provost) 
Knapp, was born March 21, 1842, in Stam- 
ford, Connecticut. He was educated in 
the public schools of his native town. 
While yet a youth he engaged in busi- 
ness for himself as a general merchant 
in that part of the town known as Rox- 
bury. For about ten years he conducted 
a successful business, at the same time 
dealing in horses and carriages. His ex- 
perience in this line of business, and also 
that gained in a boyhood spent on a farm, 
led him in the course of time to abandon 
the grocery business and open a livery 
establishment. It need hardly be said 
that this was long before the days of 
automobiles and trolley cars, and the de- 
mand for vehicles to cover the territory 
surrounding Stamford was large. Mr. 
Knapp kept from forty to fifty head of 



horses, and continuously employed from 
ten to fifteen men. As a natural adjunct 
he also conducted a boarding and training 
stable and continued to deal in horses and 
carriages. His business was carried on 
in partnership with Norman Provost un- 
der the firm name of Knapp & Provost 
for the long period of thirty-four years, 
seven months and twelve days, when the 
partnership was dissolved by the death of 
Mr. Provost. The business was then 
closed. 

On October 15, 1896, Mr. Knapp, with 
two or three friends, purchased what was 
known as the Gay property, the sale be- 
ing made by General W. W. Skiddy. 
This was surveyed and laid out in build- 
ing lots, a street being cut through from 
Main street to Forest street and named 
by Mr. Knapp Suburban avenue. The 
street was paved, sdewalks and curbing 
laid, and trees planted. The house oc- 
cupied by the Suburban Club now stands 
on a part of this property, and almost 
the entire plot is built over, making a 
fine, quiet, residential district, within five 
minutes' walk of the town hall. Through- 
out this transaction Mr. Knapp showed 
himself to be a man of vision, capable of 
foreseeing the results of what he was do- 
ing. He was fully aware that the prop- 
erty would develop both in value and 
desirability, and he built and sold many 
of the residences on the land. Every 
promise and prediction that he made to 
purchasers has been more than fulfilled. 

On September 10, 1919, Mr. Knapp was 
elected president of the Grocers' Cost and 
Profit Guide Company, of which he had 
been one of the organizers. This com- 
pany publishes a book of tables showing 
at a glance just what price a merchant 
must charge for any unit of measurement 
of merchandise to make any desired per- 
centage of profit on the selling price and 
not on the cost. The record of Mr. Knapp 



[65 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



speaks for itself, showing him to be be- 
yond all question one of Stamford's "men 
of mark," and in his portrait we see that 
he looks the man he is. 

The name of Sylvester Livingston 
Knapp will always be remembered in 
Stamford, for it is "writ large" on one of 
the most attractive portions of that beau- 
tiful city. 



KNAPP, John H., 

Banker, Honored Citizen. 

In the very early days a hilltop or 
knoll was called a knapp, and it is from 
this that the surname of Knapp has been 
derived. It was first assumed by one 
who lived near such a hill, and after the 
thirteenth century came into general use 
as a surname. The Knapp family has for 
many generations been prominent in the 
annals of Connecticut, particularly in the 
affairs of Fairfield county. The first set- 
tler of this branch of the family in Fair- 
field county was among the leading men 
of that county, and since that time each 
generation has added its quota of promi- 
nent and leading citizens. They have 
been men who have been at the head of 
the industries and the professions, as well 
as foremost in the public and civic life 
of the communities. 

(I) Nathan Knapp, grandfather of John 
H. Knapp, took part in the Revolution. 
The Christian name of his wife was Sarah, 
and they were the parents of John, of 
whom further. 

(II) John Knapp, son of Nathan and 
Sarah Knapp, learned the trade of shoe- 
maker, and at an early age was engaged 
in business on his own account. He was 
interested in all public matters, and for 
a time served as captain of a militia com- 
pany. Mr. Knapp married Betsey Hoyt, 
who was born in Norwalk, a daughter of 
Thomas Hoyt, and a descendant of a 



prominent Norwalk family. Their chil- 
dren were: Charles, Anson, Mary (Mrs. 
Sands Reed); John H., of further men- 
tion ; and Burr. All of the children are 
now deceased except John H. Knapp. 

(Ill) John H. Knapp, son of John and 
Betsey (Hoyt) Knapp, was born in South 
Norwalk, Connecticut, November 15, 
1825. He was educated in the public 
schools, and learned the trade of hatter, 
which he followed for a few years. Re- 
signing from his occupation, Mr. Knapp 
engaged in business as a "Yankee ped- 
dler," a kind of itinerant merchant now 
rarely seen. He drove two horses at- 
tached to a red wagon, carrying in the 
latter all sorts of tin kitchen utensils, 
brooms, etc. In those days when trans- 
portation facilities were meager, the visit 
of the "Yankee peddler" was most wel- 
come in the rural districts. He brought 
news of the outside world, as well as 
needed merchandise, and as money was 
not plentiful, he often bartered his goods 
for farm produce. The territory covered 
by Mr. Knapp was Long Island and up 
the Hudson river towns as far as Albany, 
as well as the towns in Southwestern 
Connecticut. After about three years of 
this employment, Mr. Knapp became a 
clerk in New York City, and in i860, in 
partnership with Edwin Ward, under the 
firm name of Ward & Knapp, he engaged 
in the wholesale toy business on Williams 
street, New York City. They also car- 
ried on a retail trade and were very suc- 
cessful. Baby carriages became the most 
important branch of their business. In 
1875 Mr. Knapp sold his interest, having 
removed to South Norwalk some years 
previous. After the latter year Mr. 
Knapp made his home in South Norwalk, 
and as vice-president of the South Nor- 
walk Savings Bank, his business interests 
were there also. He has held the office 
since its incorporation up to the present 



166 




* 



p ro vy 




cmAAJ (jij 




Wj 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



time (1921), and for years was also vice- 
president of the City National Bank of 
Norwalk. For thirty years Mr. Knapp 
was an appraiser of the bank's properties. 

In the old training days, Mr. Knapp 
was a member of Mohegan Company of 
Militia, holding the rank of corporal. The 
home in which Mr. Knapp resides on the 
top of Flax Hill, was built on the site on 
which stood the house in which he was 
born, and the latter house was removed 
to a adjoining lot by Mr. Knapp, where 
it is now occupied and is in a splendid 
state of preservation. 

There is no citizen in South Norwalk 
more highly esteemed than Mr. Knapp. 
His fine character and sunny disposition 
have won him a host of friends. It is 
given to very few men to live to the age 
of ninety-four years, Mr. Knapp's age, 
and to a much smaller number to enjoy 
all their faculties in such strength that 
they are able to take a keen pleasure in 
following current events and to transact 
business with the sound judgment and 
shrewdness of successful men in the prime 
of life. Mr. Knapp's hearing has failed 
somewhat and his eyesight is not so good 
as formerly, but there are many men of 
sixty years who are worse handicapped 
in these respects. His handwriting is 
exceptionally legible and written with 
scarcely a tremor of the hand. 

Mr. Knapp married (first) Catherine 
Rebecca Whitlock, daughter of Andrew 
and Cornelia (Kazien) Whitlock, and 
there were two children by this marriage : 
Cornelia, who died in infancy ; and 
Charles, who died at the age of twenty- 
eight years. In 1880 Mr. Knapp married 
(second) Julia Grumman, daughter of 
Josiah and Mary Grumman, of Litchfield ; 
before her marriage Mrs. Knapp was a 
school teacher and is a splendidly edu- 
cated woman of the intellectual type. 



KNAPP, Alfred B., 

Business Man. 

Alfred B. Knapp was born in Pound- 
ridge, New York, June 20, 1854, son of 
Orin and Ann Augusta (Quick) Knapp 
(see Quick III). Orin Knapp was a 
farmer of Poundridge. Alfred B. Knapp 
attended the local public schools, assisted 
his father on the home farm, and on reach- 
ing manhood engaged in the milk busi- 
ness independently in Springdale, Con- 
necticut. Several years later the entire 
family moved to that place from Pound- 
ridge. In Springdale the milk business 
was in its infancy, and Mr. Knapp was 
entitled to the distinction of having been 
one of its pioneers, having previous to his 
marriage built up an extensive route. He 
carried on the business for a number of 
years later and then sold out in order that 
he might be free to open a grocery store 
under the name of Knapp & Miller, Jere- 
miah Miller being the other member of 
the firm. After conducting it for a con- 
siderable period, he established the 
Springdale Ice Company, the first con- 
cern to manufacture artificial ice in 
Springdale. Beginning with a five-ton 
plant he built up a large business before 
he retired. The plant now manufactures 
twenty-two tons a day, a fact which 
evinces a remarkable growth, the business 
being only about six years old. Some two 
years ago Mr. Knapp established a coal 
and wood business as an adjunct, being 
the Springdale representative of the firm 
of Graves & Strong, of Stamford. Since 
his death the combined concern has been 
incorporated as the Springdale Ice and 
Coal Company. They find a market for 
their merchandise in all the suburbs of 
Stamford. Mr. Knapp's business activity 
extended into numerous fields. He oper- 
ated a cider mill, owned a threshing 
machine, widely used in the neighbor- 



167 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



hood, and also engaged in contracting and 
teaming. He acquired extensive real es- 
tate holdings, built and sold a number of 
houses, and devoted considerable of his 
time to the management of his property 
interests. In politics Mr. Knapp was a 
Democrat, but never engaged actively in 
public affairs, preferring to do his duty 
as a private citizen. He affiliated with 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 

Mr. Knapp married, April 20, 1882, El- 
len Louise Miller, daughter of Lewis B. 
and Mary Louise (Bell) Miller. The 
Benedicts are an old English family, trac- 
ing from William Benedict, who was of 
Nottinghamshire, in 1500, and whose lin- 
eal descendant, Thomas Benedict, was in 
Massachusetts in 1638, and later removed 
to Long Island. Mrs. Miller was the 
daughter of Harmon Bell. The different 
branches of the Bell family emigrated 
from Northern England, Scotland, and 
the North of Ireland, settling in a num- 
ber of the American colonies. Mr. and 
Mrs. Knapp were the parents of one son, 
Gilford Benedict, a sketch of whom fol- 
lows. Mrs. Knapp, Sr., is a member of 
Immanuel Protestant Episcopal Church. 

On February 14, 1919, Mr. Knapp's use- 
ful and well spent life was closed, leaving 
many to mourn his loss, for he was loved 
by a large circle of friends and respected 
by the entire community. The narrative 
of his career should be preserved, for 
it teaches a lesson of sturdy self-reli- 
ance, aggressive industry, and honestly 
achieved success. 

(The Quick Line). 

(I) John Quick was a farmer of North 
Salem, New York, where he died. His 
wife was a Miss Tyler, and died at the 
venerable age of ninety-two years. 

(II) Elijah Quick, son of John Quick, 
was born in North Salem, New York. He 
followed the carpenter's trade. He mar- 
ried Sarah Van Scoy (see Van Scoy II), 



and died at the comparatively early age of 
forty-four years, his death being caused 
by typhoid fever. He passed away at 
North Salem in 1847 or J 848, and the 
death of his widow occurred in January, 
1 85 1. They were the parents of the fol- 
fowing children, all of whom were born 
in North Salem : Ann Augusta, mentioned 
below; Lucinda, died in infancy; Oliver, 
died in Purdy Station, New York ; Mary 
Jeannette, died in Poundridge, New 
York ; Eliza, died at the age of sixteen ; 
Nancy, died July 16, 191 1, in Hartford, 
Connecticut ; Andrew, died in Harpers 
Ferry, during the Civil War; Jane; Wil- 
liam Henry, died in Danbury, Connecti- 
cut; and Cyrus, also died in Danbury, 
about 1862. 

(Ill) Ann Augusta Quick, daughter of 
Elijah and Sarah (Van Scoy) Quick, was 
born May 7, 1836. She became the wife 
of Orin Knapp, as stated above. Mrs. 
Knapp died December 31, 1899. 

(The Van Scoy Line). 

(I) Abraham Van Scoy was born Janu- 
ary 7, 1760, in Dutchess county, New 
York, and lived as a farmer in North 
Salem, New York. He married Hannah 
Bostwick, who was born September 21, 
1778, in Bedford, New York. Mr. Van 
Scoy died September 1, 1844, and the 
death of his widow occurred March 30, 
1851. 

(II) Sarah Van Scoy, daughter of 
Abraham and Hannah (Bostwick) Van 
Scoy, was born January 22, 1807, and be- 
came the wife of Elijah Quick (see 
Quick II). 



KNAPP, Gilford B., 

Business Man. 

Mr. Knapp's early business life was 
spent in connection with brokerage firms 
of New York City's financial district, but 
since 1913 he has been associated with the 



[68 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



organization founded by his father, the 
Springdale Ice and Coal Company. He 
is well and favorably known in the local- 
ity in which his business interests are 
centered, and is identified with several 
organizations, social and fraternal. 

Gilford B. Knapp, son of Alfred B. and 
Ellen Louise (Miller) Knapp (q. v.), was 
born in Springdale, Connecticut, Decem- 
ber ii, 1883. He attended the public 
schools and Bell's Academy, of Stamford, 
and completed his studes at Merrill's 
Business College, of Stamford. His first 
business experience was in the employ of 
James D. Smith & Company, with which 
firm he remained six years, and he was 
subsequently for a like length of time 
with Ferris & White, both brokerage 
houses of New York City. During this 
period he continued to reside in Spring- 
dale, and in 1913 he left New York and 
became associated with his father in the 
management of the Springdale Ice Com- 
pany. This concern afterward became 
the Springdale Ice and Coal Company, 
and upon the death of the elder Knapp in 
1919, Gilford B. Knapp succeeded to the 
presidency, a position he now fills. In 
November, 1919, the company extended 
its field of operation by the purchase 
of the ice business of Mr. Brown, of 
New Canaan, and is now supplying that 
town with ice. Mr. Knapp's qualifica- 
tions for the direction of his prosperous 
business are those of thorough experience 
in his particular line and a natural apti- 
tude for affairs of business inherited from 
his honored father. 

Mr. Knapp is a charter member of the 
Springdale Fire Company, of which Al- 
fred B. Knapp was also a charter mem- 
ber and organizer. His fraternal affilia- 
tion is with the Junior Order of United 
American Mechanics. He is an inde- 
pendent Democrat in political action, the 



need of the office and the desirability of 
the candidate determining his vote. He 
is an attendant of the Episcopal church. 



FERGUSON FAMILY, 

Ancestral History. 

Since 1842, in which year John Fer- 
guson settled in Stamford, the family has 
been a prominent one in Fairfield county. 
The members of the present generation 
have brought distinction to the family 
name throughout the State : The late John 
Day Ferguson, by giving largely of his 
time to public service ; Walter Ferguson, 
as a banker and business man of affairs ; 
the late Professor Henry Ferguson of 
Trinity College, Hartford, as an educator, 
and later a rector of St. Paul's School 
of Concord, New Hampshire. In Stam- 
ford, Connecticut, the Ferguson Library, 
endowed by John Day Ferguson, will re- 
main a silent testimony to the memory of 
this good man for many generations to 
come. 

The members of the Ferguson family 
have been public-spirited men, men of 
cultured minds, and possessed of many 
other qualities which have made their 
careers worthy of emulation. 

The family was founded in America by 
Samuel Ferguson, who was born in Hali- 
fax, County of Yorkshire, England, April 
ii, 1769, and died in New York City, Au- 
gust 16, 1816. He married Elizabeth Day, 
a native of St. Johns Ilketshall, near Bun- 
gay, County of Suffolk ; she was born 
July 4, 1778, and died in New York City, 
October 6, 1823. 

When a young man, Samuel Ferguson 
crossed the ocean to Philadelphia, and re- 
mained there three or four years associ- 
ated with a cousin, Robert E. Griffith, 
who had preceded him to America and 
who had already established himself in 
business there as a merchant. That was 



169 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



in the days of flourishing trade with the 
Orient, and young Ferguson went to 
China for his cousin as supercargo on one 
of his vessels. Many of the early import- 
ing merchants secured an important part 
of their business training in that way. 
Later, Mr. Ferguson went to New York 
City and engaged in business with his 
brother-in-law, John Day, with whom he 
remained until his death in 1816. 

John Ferguson, son of Samuel and Eliz- 
abeth (Day) Ferguson, was born in New 
York City, April 23, 1803, and died in 
Stamford, Connecticut, September 1, 
1874. He attended McCullough's cele- 
brated private school at Morristown, New 
Jersey. Upon the death of his father, he 
was sent to live with his uncle, Edward 
Ferguson, a prominent woolen merchant 
of Yorkshire, England. When he became 
of age, he returned to America, and took 
the place in the firm of Ogden, Ferguson 
& Day, vacated by the death of his father. 
John Ferguson continued active in the 
business until his death. Owing to the 
death of various partners, changes were 
made from time to time in the style of the 
firm name. For some years prior to 
1874, it had been J. & S. Ferguson. While 
a resident of New York City, Mr. Fer- 
guson was a member of Grace Episcopal 
Church and served as clerk of its vestry. 
In 1842 he became a resident of Stamford, 
and from that time was identified with 
St. John's Episcopal Church, of which he 
was warden for many years. He married 
Helen Grace, born in New York City, 
February 22, 1807, died in Stamford, Sep- 
tember 7, 1853, a daughter of Edmund 
and Sarah Eliza (Walton) Morewood. 
Edmund Morewood was born in Salford, 
England, May 11, 1770, and died in Stam- 
ford, September 17, 1861. His wife was 
born in New York City in 1780, and died 
there August 18, 1838. John and Helen 
Grace (Morewood) Ferguson had eight 
children, all of whom are deceased, ex- 



cept Walton and Elizabeth Day. They 
were: I. John Day, a sketch of whom 
follows: 2. Sarah M.. 3. Samuel, died 
from the effects of exposure in a ship- 
wreck. He was associated with his father 
in business in New York as long as he 
lived. 4. Helen. 5. Edmund Morewood, 
who was in business in Pittsburgh as an 
iron and coal merchant. In his later years 
he was president of the Merchants' & 
Manufacturers' Bank of Pittsburgh ; he 
married Josephine E. Mackintosh, and 
left four children, two sons now deceased, 
and two daughters. 6. Walton, a sketch 
of whom follows. 7. Henry, a prominent 
educator of Hartford. 8. Elizabeth Day. 



FERGUSON, John Day, 

Public Benefactor. 

One of the most beloved citizens of 
Stamford, Connecticut, John Day Fer- 
guson, was born in New York City, Au- 
gust 7, 1833, and died December 9, 1877, 
leaving the priceless legacy of a good 
name which will ever endure. Mr. Fer- 
guson was a son of John and Helen Grace 
(Morewood) Ferguson, and a man of 
great foresight and generous nature. He 
had the rare faculty of inspiring both af- 
fection and respect in all with whom he 
came in contact. Possessed of sufficient 
means to enable him to choose the activi- 
ties that appealed to him, Mr. Ferguson 
devoted much of his time to furthering 
the interests of education. He felt it his 
duty to aid in giving to society the high, 
unselfish disinterested, intelligent service 
that would promote the best interests of 
the community. His work as member of 
the School Board did much toward estab- 
lishing the Stamford Public School sys- 
tem on a sound pedagogical basis. For 
many years he was connected with the 
School Board, and it was universally rec- 
ognized among his fellow-citizens that he 
was the efficient member of the board. 



170 




e/flcx-y, £/&?. actjlstn^s. 




A/e-a^z. 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



John Day Ferguson was educated in 
the private school of Rev. Robert Harris, 
at White Plains, New York, and was 
graduated at Trinity College, Hartford, 
in 1851. He then studied law, and for 
ten years was engaged in practice in New 
York City. In 1866 and 1867 Mr. Fer- 
guson served as representative from 
Stamford in the Legislature, and from 
1871 to 1874 he served as Judge of Pro- 
bate. 

Mr. Ferguson always considered a 
public library a necessary adjunct of the 
formal educational facilities of the town 
and he left in his will money which, in 
March, 1881, went to found the Ferguson 
Library of Stamford, which was opened 
to the public in January of the following 
year. The location has since been 
changed, being now located on Broad 
street at the head of Atlantic street, and 
the new building was opened September 
4, 191 1. It is probably safe to say that no 
library building of its size in this country 
is more attractive, better lighted, or has 
superior appointments. 

A fitting close to the biography of this 
worthy man is the following, quoted from 
"Picturesque Stamford :" 

He had for many years been identified with the 
cause of popular education in Stamford and had 
made the interests of our school system a special 
study and brought to their promotion an enthusi- 
asm which no discouragement could dampen. His 
sagacious judgment led him always to make the 
best use of attainable means while hopefully striv- 
ing for better. His suavity of manner, his obvious 
sincerity, and the confidence imposed in his integ- 
rity always enabled him to secure an attentive 
hearing in the town meetings and to exert a large 
influence with the voters on behalf of the plans for 
school improvements, to which he devoted so much 
of his time and energy. 



FERGUSON, Walton, 

Leader in Community Affairs. 

There are many citizens in Connecticut 
of which the State has reason to be proud, 



and one of these is Walton Ferguson, 
scion of a distinguished family, and pres- 
ident of The Stamford Trust Company. 
Mr. Ferguson was born in Stamford, 
July 6, 1842, and was educated at a pri- 
vate school in Baltimore, and at Trinity 
College. While at college he was a mem- 
ber of the Psi Upsilon fraternity. Subse- 
quent to his college training Mr. Fer- 
guson became associated with his father 
in business, becoming a member of the 
firm of J. & S. Ferguson, a private bank- 
ing business. Many business and finan- 
cial interests have held his attention at 
various times. For several years he was 
in Pittsburgh associated with H. C. Frick, 
in the coke business, and later, was inter- 
ested in railroad, gas and electric com- 
panies. Mr. Ferguson was one of the 
founders of The Kings County Electric 
Light and Power Company, which ab- 
sorbed the Brooklyn Edison Company. 
He was active in establishing The Union 
Carbide Company, of which he was a 
director, and was a director of The Peo- 
ple's Gas Company of Chicago. Mr. Fer- 
guson is now a director of The Virginia 
Iron, Coal and Coke Company, the Vir- 
ginia & Southwestern Railroad, and the 
Detroit & Mackinaw Railroad. 

Mr. Ferguson was organizer of The 
Stamford Trust Company, of which he 
is now the president ; he is a director of 
The First-Stamford National Bank, and 
chairman of the Board of Directors of The 
Stamford Gas and Electric Company. 

Mr. Ferguson's clubs are : Union 
League ; Union ; St. Nicholas Society, and 
other prominent clubs. He has always 
been greatly interested in St. John's Epis- 
copal Church, which he long served as 
vestryman, and of which he is senior war- 
den. He married Julia L., daughter of 
John White, of New York City, and they 
are the parents of six children, five of 
whom are now living. They are: 1. 
Walton, Jr., born November 28, 1870. He 



171 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



attended St. Paul's School at Concord, 
New Hampshire, and Trinity College, and 
until recently was in the lumber business. 
Walter Ferguson, Jr., married (first) 
Emily Carstairs, by whom he had one 
daughter, Frances, born February 12, 
1900. He married (second) Dorothy 
Taylor and they are the parents of two 
sons: Walton, 3rd, born April 1, 1914, 
and Matthew H. T. 2. Helen G., born 
July 23, 1872. 3. Grace Carroll, born 
January 8, 1874, married Alfred W. Dater, 
a sketch of whom follows in this work. 
4. Alfred L., born March 7, 1879. He 
was educated at the Pomfret School, 
and graduated from Yale in 1902, with a 
B. A. degree. He was a member of Psi 
Upsilon and Skull and Bones, and after 
graduation became associated with J. & S. 
Ferguson. His chief work has been as 
treasurer of The Windsor Print Works 
and he is vice-president of The Consoli- 
dated Textile Corporation. He married 
Ruth Howard of Brooklyn, New York, 
and they have four children : Alfred L., 
Jr., born April 27, 1904; Carroll, born 
July 6, 1908; Ruth W., born August 11, 
1913 ; Charles H., born July 18, 1919. 5. 
Henry Lee, born March 28, 1881 ; was 
educated at Pomfret School, and gradu- 
ated from the Sheffield Scientific School 
in 1905, with a degree of Ph. B. He is 
now manager of the Fisher's Island 
Farms, and is a member of Delta Psi fra- 
ternity. He married Marion Benner, and 
they are the parents of three children, two 
now living: Henry Lee, Jr., born March 
14, 1915; Charles B., born June 30, 1918. 
With his family Mr. Ferguson resides at 
Fisher's Island. 



DATER, Alfred Warner, 

Man of Enterprise and Public-Spirit. 

Alfred Warner Dater, president of the 
Stamford Gas and Electric Company, and 



prominently associated with many im- 
portant business and industrial concerns 
in Southern and Eastern Connecticut, is 
one of the most progressive citizens of 
Stamford, in this State, and a conspicuous 
figure in the life and affairs of the com- 
munity. Mr. Dater is a native of Brook- 
lyn, New York, where his birth occurred 
August 23, 1872, and a son of J. Henry 
and Adda H. (McMurray) Dater, old 
and highly respected residents of that 
city. The Dater family was resident in 
New York State for a number of genera- 
tions, and the elder Mr. Dater was born 
in the city of Troy, where he spent his 
childhood and early youth. As a young 
man he was engaged in several different 
lines of business and while yet young 
entered the employ of the firm of John 
G. McMurray & Company, brush manu- 
facturers, of Troy. This concern was one 
of the oldest of its kind in the United 
States, having been founded in the first 
half of the nineteenth century, when the 
industrial development of the Hudson 
Valley region was yet in its infancy. In 
1859 a new factory was erected to take 
the place of the original plant, which had 
been destroyed by fire, and was consid- 
ered at that time to be the largest and 
most perfectly equipped brush factory in 
the world. It was engaged in the manu- 
facture of a general line of bristle brushes 
and for many years maintained an office 
in New York City. Mr. Dater was em- 
ployed by this concern for a number of 
years and was finally admitted as a part- 
ner and placed in charge of the sales end 
of the business, having come to Brooklyn 
to make his home, where his death oc- 
curred in 1875. In 1855 he married, at 
Lansingburg, New York, Adda H. Mc- 
Murray, a daughter of John G. McMur- 
ray, his old employer, who had recently 
taken him into partnership. Mr. McMur- 
ray, a native of New York City, was a 



172 




<2<f^ ft 2)2£g^r~^ 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



member of an exceedingly ancient Scot- 
tish family, the name belonging to that 
great class of patronymics that have taken 
their origin from earlier given names, the 
Celtic prefix "Mac" or "Mc" signifying in 
the early dialects the "son of." The Mc- 
Murrays have for many generations been 
associated with various communities in 
both the old and new worlds and its 
members have always maintained a high 
place in the regard of their fellow-citizens 
wherever they have resided. J. Henry 
Dater and his wife were the parents of 
six children, five of whom grew to ma- 
turity, as follows : Mary, who became the 
wife of Gardner S. Lamson, of Boston, 
Massachusetts ; John G., who resides in 
New York City ; William Roberts, who 
died in the year 1893, at the age of twen- 
ty-five ; Henry Murray ; and Alfred War- 
ner, with whose career we are here 
especially concerned. J. Henry Dater 
was a son of Jacob Dater, a native of 
Troy, New York, where he was born 
about 1791, and married Mary Roberts. 
During the time of his residence in Brook- 
lyn he was prominent in social and re- 
ligious life and was a vestryman of the 
Church of the Messiah there. 

Alfred Warner Dater passed his child- 
hood in his native city of Brooklyn, and 
received his elementary education at the 
Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. Later, 
he attended the Dwight School in New 
York City for a year, where he completed 
his preparation for college. He then 
matriculated at the Sheffield Scientific 
School at Yale University, and was grad- 
uated from that institution with the class 
of 1895, taking the degree of Ph. B. After 
graduation from the Sheffield School, Mr. 
Dater entered the shops of the Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad Company, at Fort Wayne, 
Indiana, as a machinist's apprentice, for 
a special practical course for technical 



school grades. He remained at Fort 
Wayne until 1897, and then came to 
Brooklyn, New York, to accept a position 
as assistant general superintendent of the 
Kings County Electric Light and Power 
Company. Upon the consolidation of 
that company with the Edison Electric 
Illuminating Company, Mr. Dater was 
appointed treasurer of the latter concern, 
and held that responsible post until 1902. 
It was in that year that Mr. Dater moved 
to Stamford and became connected with 
several Stamford companies, among 
which was the Stamford Gas and Electric 
Company. Upon the death of its treas- 
urer, George H. Hoyt, Mr. Dater suc- 
ceeded him in that office, and in 1917 was 
elected president of the company, an of- 
fice that he holds today. In 1909 Mr. 
Dater removed to Williamstown, Mas- 
sachusetts, and there made his home, be- 
coming associated with the Windsor 
Print Works of North Adams, but two 
years later came to Stamford, where he 
has since lived. In Stamford he was 
elected vice-president and general man- 
ager of the Stamford Gas and Electric 
Company, and later, in 1917, became its 
president. In addition to this office that 
he still holds, Mr. Dater at the present 
time is a director of The Stamford Sav- 
ings Bank, the Stamford Water Company, 
the Windsor Print Works, the Nazareth 
Cement Company, of Nazareth, Pennsyl- 
vania, and of other concerns. He is also 
treasurer of the Stamford Children's 
Home, and is prominent in charitable un- 
dertakings of many kinds. He is a well 
known figure in social and club circles 
at Stamford. He is a member of Delta 
Psi fraternity, which he joined while a 
student at Yale University ; the Gradu- 
ates' Club of New Haven, Suburban Club 
and Woodway Country Club of Stamford, 
and the Yale Club and St. Anthony Club 



173 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



of New York City. He is at present 
serving a second term as member of the 
Stamford School Board; is president of 
the local council of the Boy Scouts of 
America, and a member of the National 
Executive Committee of that order. Dur- 
ing the participation of the United States 
in the great World War, Mr. Dater 
served as chairman of the local Fuel Ad- 
ministration and in this capacity per- 
formed an invaluable service for his fel- 
low-townsman.. In his religious belief 
Mr. Dater is an Episcopalian, and is a 
member and vestryman of St. John's 
Church of that denomination at Stam- 
ford. 

Alfred Warner Dater was united in 
marriage, November 23, 1898, with Grace 
Carroll Ferguson, a daughter of Walton 
and Julia L. (White) Ferguson, old and 
highly respected residents of Stamford, 
a sketch of the former appearing on pre- 
ceding pages of this work. Mr. and Mrs. 
Dater are the parents of three children 
as follows: Walton Ferguson, born Sep- 
tember 10, 1899; Alfred W., Jr., born May 
8, 1902; and Philip, born November 2, 

I905- 

Combined with splendid technical and 
mechanical training, Mr. Dater possesses 
an unusually natural aptitude for business 
and an executive ability that enables him 
to dispatch easily and quickly an im- 
mense volume of work. He is the type 
of business man, none too common, who 
takes pains always to be gracious and 
helpful to people who come in contact 
with him, who are immediately put at 
ease by his genial manner. Holding 
steadfast the highest ideals of business 
and personal conduct, with good humor 
well nigh inexhaustible, he has the con- 
fidence of those who are called upon to 
transact business with him, and the 
friendship and esteem of all who know 
him. 



HURLBUTT, Ambrose Spencer, 

Man of Great Enterprise. 

The name of Hurlbutt, which is an- 
other form of Hurlbatt, is a very ancient 
one, presumably of Saxon origin. It is 
derived from an implement of battle, the 
whirl-bat, and thus it is proved that 
the family are descended from some early 
warrior. The spelling of the name has 
varied greatly. It has been written Hurl- 
bert, Hurlburt, Hulburt, Hulburd, Hurl- 
burg, Holliburt, Hollybut, Holybut, 
Holybud. 

(I) Among those pioneers of courage 
and energy was Thomas Hurlbut (as he 
and some generations of his descendants 
spelled the name), early settled in the 
New England Colony. He was born in 
1610, and died after 1681. On August II, 
1635, he left London, England, in the ship 
"Bachelor," and was among those who 
settled in Saybrook, Connecticut, and 
while there he was a member of a party 
of eleven men sent out February 22, 1637, 
to burn leaves, weeds and reeds upon the 
neck of land half a mile from the fort, 
and while engaged in this work were 
attacked by Indians. Thomas Hurlbut 
was shot almost through the thigh, but 
escaped. After the Pequot War, he set- 
tled in Wethersfield, where he was the 
first blacksmith, an occupation which he 
had followed since coming to New Eng- 
land. For his services in the Indian wars, 
the Assembly voted him a grant of one 
hundred and twenty acres of land, Octo- 
ber 12, 1671. In 1640, Thomas Hurlbut 
served as clerk of the train-band ; was 
deputy to the General Court; juryman; 
constable in 1644; collector of taxes in 
1647. The Christian name of his wife was 
Sarah. 

(II) Thomas (2) Hurlbut, son of 
Thomas (1) and Sarah Hurlbut, was 
probably born in Wethersfield, Connecti- 

74 




^£. g. /A^f^k7' 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



cut. He learned the trade of blacksmith 
from his father, and in March, 1662, was 
granted land by the town on which to 
build a shop. The first wife of Thomas 
Hurlbut was named Lydia, and the sec- 
ond wife Elizabeth. 

(III) Thomas (3) Hurlbut, son of 
Thomas (2) and Lydia Hurlbut, was born 
about 1660, and appears to have settled 
in Woodbury, Connecticut, previous to 
1682. The name of his wife is not known. 

(IV) Gideon Hurlbutt, son of Thomas 
(3) Hurlbut, was baptized in August, 
1688, and died March 9, 1757. He re- 
moved to that part of Westport called 
Greens Farms, two miles east of the vil- 
lage. He married Margaret , and 

she died February 28, 1754. 

(V) Gideon (2) Hurlbutt, son of 
Gjdeon (1) and Margaret Hurlbutt, was 
born in Westport, Connecticut, baptized 
about 1728, and died September 30, 1775. 
His wife, Hannah (Taylor) Hurlbutt, 
born June 1, 1731, died in 1772, daughter 
of Captain John Taylor, of Westport, and 
a descendant of John Taylor, who was 
early in Windsor. 

(VI) James Hurlbutt, son of Gideon 
(2) and Hannah (Taylor) Hurlbutt, was 
born November 3, 1756, in Westport, Con- 
necticut, and died in Albany, New York, 
January 11, 1815. He was long engaged 
in the business of a merchant and also 
was a builder of vessels. Mr. Hurlbutt 
was among the most prominent citizens 
of Westport, and also was very wealthy 
for that time. For his second wife, he 
married, March 18, 1781, Ann or Nancy 
Hays, born October 22, 1761, died March 
25, 1819, daughter of Isaac Hays, of Lew- 
isboro, New York. Previous to his death 
Mr. Hurlbutt removed to Albany, New 
York. 

(VII) Isaac Hurlbutt, son of James 
and Ann or Nancy (Hays) Hurlbutt, was 
born January 18, 1782, and died March 



25, 1831, in Westport. He married Free- 
love Nash, born March 11, 1782, died July 
24, 1871. 

(VIII) George Nash Hurlbutt, son of 
Isaac and Freelove (Nash) Hurlbutt, was 
born October 11, 1801. He married Bet- 
sey Disbrow. 

(IX) Ambrose Spencer Hurlbutt, son 
of George Nash and Betsey (Disbrow) 
Hurlbutt, was born September 2, 1825, 
died September 4, 1913. Mr. Hurlbutt 
was like his ancestors among the public- 
spirited men of Westport. He was a 
great promoter of public works, and was 
one of the founders of the Central Na- 
tional Bank, of Norwalk, now the Central 
Trust Company. He was also a founder 
of the Willowbrook Cemetery, and was 
president of the association from its or- 
ganization until his death. He was one 
of those who made a fortune in the gold 
fields of California in 1849. With a part- 
ner, he invested in timber lands in that 
State, the property including a large part 
of the present site of the city of San Fran- 
cisco. They sold their holdings and he 
retired East in 1868, a millionaire. Every 
matter pertaining to the welfare of the 
public held his attention ; he was the first 
to advocate the building of the old horse 
car system in Westport, and later was 
largely instrumental in getting the trolley 
line through the town. He served as the 
first president of the Street Railway Com- 
pany, and was also president of the Dan- 
bury & Norwalk Railroad Company. At 
the time of his death, Mr. Hurlbutt was 
a director of the Westport Library and 
had been active in the work of this li- 
brary for many years. At his death the 
town of Westport lost one of its most 
useful and valued citizens. 

Mr. Hurlbutt married, in November, 
i860, Cornelia Doughty Kelsey, daughter 
of John Burnett and Delia (Conger) 
Kelsey. 



175 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Mr. and Mrs. Hurlbutt were the parents 
of the following children: I. Mary E., 
wife of Edward B. Mohler, of Baltimore, 
and mother of Mary H. Mohler. 2. Horace 
Carpenter, married Liela, and had a son, 
Horace C. ; the latter enlisted and served 
about two years in France, and after his 
return home was killed in an automobile 
accident in 1918. 3. Frederick Wood, 
married Martha M. Boyd, and resides in 
Atlantic City. 4. Ambrose Spencer, Jr., 
married Maude Mills, of Baltimore, and 
died in 1914, leaving no children. 5. Cor- 
nelia Kelsey, married Frank C. Coley, of 
Xew Haven ; they have three children : 
Ambrose Hurlbutt, James Edward, Cor- 
nelia Kelsey. 6. Helen, married William 
Ridge Allen, and resides in Richmond, 
Massachusetts. 

John Burnett Kelsey, father of Cornelia 
D. (Kelsey) Hurlbutt, was born in Sparta, 
New Jersey, January 17, 1797, died Jan- 
uary 3, 1885. He was a son of Jabez and 
Sarah (Corwin) Kelsey. While yet in 
his boyhood, John B. Kelsey went to live 
with his uncle in Flanders, New Jersey, 
and remained there until he was about 
eighteen years old. Then he removed to 
Randolph to learn the shoemaker's trade. 
He married, April 7, 1821, Delia Conger, 
born July 13, 1803, and died September 
30, 1880, daughter of David and Elizabeth 
(Ayres) Conger. Previous to his mar- 
riage, Mr. Kelsey removed to New Or- 
leans, but remained there only a year. In 
the fall of 1824, he removed with his wife 
to East Tennessee, remaining until the 
spring of 1826. In 1859, tne y yielded to 
the solicitations of their five children in 
California and went out there. Four 
years later they returned and spent the re- 
mainder of their lives in Rockaway, New 
Jersey. Mr. Kelsey was never a man of 
great physical strength, but he possessed 
a constitution of great vitality and re- 
cuperative power, and by his temperate 



habits and attention to the laws of health 
he lived beyond the three score years and 
ten allotted by the Psalmist, dying of old 
age. One who knew him well said : 

The life just closed was singularly complete in 
all its aspects. In his simple faith and humble 
walk with God, in his domestic happiness and 
prosperity, his great age and numerous descend- 
ants, we see a striking resemblance to the life of 
the Patriarchs, as they are depicted in the Old 
Testament. * * * His immediate descendants 
(at the time of his death) are fifteen children, 
sixty-seven grandchildren, twenty great-grandchil- 
dren, one hundred and two in all. His piety was 
of the Biblical type — a simple earnest faith, al- 
ways held in meekness and sometimes with fear 
and much trembling. 

Mrs. Delia (Conger) Kelsey was a 
woman noted for her good, clear, com- 
mon sense, correct judgment, and great 
decision of character. She was a woman 
of indomitable resolution, of tireless en- 
ergy and industry. She became a member 
of the Rockaway church, and was a strong 
Christian. 



HURLBUTT, Lewis Raymond, 

Manufacturer. 

As a member of the long-established 
and widely known firm of Lounsbury, 
Mathewson & Company, formerly Louns- 
bury Brothers & Company, Mr. Hurlbutt 
has long occupied a leading position in the 
business world of South Norwalk. He is 
also allied with the financial interests of 
his city and is a figure of prominence in 
her fraternal and social circles. 

(IV) Thomas (4) Hurlbutt, son of 
Thomas (3) Hurlbut (q. v.), was bap- 
tized in December, 1684, in Woodbury, 
Connecticut. He is supposed to have 
lived in Wilton, Connecticut, where he 
owned land. He was chosen, with others, 
by Wilton parish, in 1735, "to lay out a 
highway to the Ridge." The name of his 
wife is unknown. 



176 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



(V) Daniel Hurlbutt, son of Thomas 
(4) Hurlbutt was born, probably, as early 
as 1710, in Woodbury, Connecticut, and 
his death occurred in Wilton. He mar- 
ried Belden. 

(VI) Daniel (2) Hurlbutt, son of Dan- 
iel (1) and (Belden) Hurlbutt, 

was born in 1740, in Wilton, where he fol- 
lowed the trade of a weaver. During the 
Revolutionary War he was captain of a 
militia company. His name, in Wilton 
records, is generally written Holybert. 
He married (first) Naomi Stuart, who 
died in July, 1764. He married (second) 
March 20, 1765, Esther Patrick, daughter 
of John Patrick. Captain Hurlbutt died 
in Wilton, February 14, 1827, and his 
widow passed away July 2, 1839, at tne 
venerable age of ninety-two years. 

(VII) John Hurlbutt, son of Daniel (2) 
and Esther (Patrick) Hurlbutt, was born 
October 14, 1778. He was a farmer in 
Wilton. He married, in 1809, in Weston, 
Connecticut, Elizabeth Ogden, born in 
that place, July 18, 1785, daughter of 
Joseph and Rachel Ogden, who resided 
there. 

(VIII) William Bradley Hurlbutt, son 
of John and Elizabeth (Ogden) Hurlbutt, 
was born April 3, 181 5, in Wilton, where 
he was reared on a farm. After receiving 
a common school education, he was em- 
ployed in the old Gilbert & Bennett wire 
cloth factory. Some years later he aban- 
doned that work in order to engage in 
the cultivation of a farm which had been 
his home from the time of his marriage. 
He married, October 4, 1838, Paulina 
Hurlburt, born February 25, 1821, in Wil- 
ton, daughter of John Hurlburt, and 
granddaughter of David Hurlburt, of 
Ridgefield, Connecticut, and undoubtedly 
a member of another branch of the Hurl- 
butt family. 

(IX) Lewis Raymond Hurlbutt, son of 
William Bradley and Paulina (Hurlburt) 

Conn-8— 12 I 



Hurlbutt, was born August 23, 1851, in 
Wilton, Connecticut, and received his ed- 
ucation in schools of his birthplace. For 
a number of years he filled the position of 
clerk in a store in Georgetown, and then 
entered the office of the firm of Louns- 
bury Brothers & Company. This widely 
known commercial house was founded 
more than half a century ago by George 
E. and Phineas C. Lounsbury, two broth- 
ers of distinguished ancestry, both of 
whom filled with honor the high office 
of governor of the State of Connecticut. 
Biographies of the brothers appear else- 
where in this work. The business of the 
firm was the manufacture of shoes, the 
factory being first situated in New Haven 
and later removed to South Norwalk, 
when the style was changed to Louns- 
bury, Mathewson & Company. Thence- 
forth the business developed more rap- 
idly in consequence of enlarged facilities 
and finer equipment. For the superiority 
of its product and the integrity which 
characterized all its dealings the firm be- 
came as the years went on, increasingly 
noted. It has always manufactured 
women's shoes only, and the product is 
sold direct to the retailer. The territory 
covered by the company's salesmen em- 
braces the entire United States, and the 
number of employees amounts to three 
hundred and ten. For several years Mr. 
Hurlbutt, in addition to partnership in 
the firm, has held the position of manager, 
and to his skillful methods, clear fore- 
thought, and wisely directed aggressive- 
ness are to be attributed, in no small 
measure, the substantial success and con- 
stantly increasing scope of the business. 

While never found lacking in public 
spirit, Mr. Hurlbutt has always refrained 
from active participation in politics, pre- 
ferring to exercise in a very quiet way the 
privileges of citizenship, and to perform 
in the same unobtrusive manner the duty 

77 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



he owes to his community. He is a di- 
rector of the City National Bank, of South 
Norwalk, and the South Norwalk Sav- 
ings Bank. He affiliates with Ark Lodge, 
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of 
Wilton, and with Cannon Grange, Pa- 
trons of Husbandry, also of that town. 
His only club is the South Norwalk Coun- 
try. In the Methodist Episcopal church 
of Wilton he holds the office of trustee. 

The long record of Mr. Hurlbutt, both 
as a business man and a citizen, is one of 
honorable effort, faithful service, and un- 
blemished integrity. He has been in the 
best sense of the word a truly successful 
man. 



FERRIS, Theodore Isaac, 

Business Man. 

From the earliest settlement of Fairfield 
county, Connecticut, the name of Ferris 
has been an honored one in that State. 
The ancestors of this family belonged to 
the liberty loving class that played an 
important part in the early settlement of 
New England. The name of Ferris bears 
an enviable reputation for enterprise and 
public spirit. Through every branch of 
this family are found men prominent in 
the settlement, government, and military 
history of their country. 

The Ferris family is of Norman origin, 
the name being originally spelled Ferier 
or Ferrerr. It is derived from Ferian, to 
convey across, and was early given to one 
dwelling near a ferry or to the keeper of 
the ferry. The first of the family in Eng- 
land was Henry de Ferier, son of Gual- 
chelme de Ferier, master of the horse of 
William the Conqueror, the Duke of Nor- 
mandy, who obtained grants of land in 
the counties of Staffordshire, Derbyshire, 
and Leicestershire. It is said of this 
Henry that William the Conqueror rode 
up to him on the battle field, took from 



his own neck a gold chain, and throwing 
it over Henry de Ferier's head said : "You 
fight too fiercely, I must chain you up." 
From him are descended the Ferrers, of 
Groby, who bore for their paternal arms 
the following: 

Arms — Gules, seven mascles or, a canton ermine. 
Their Westchester descendants carried-. 

Arms — Gules, a fleur-de-lis or, a canton ermine 
with a crescent. 

The arms of the father of Henry de Fer- 
ier were : 

Arms — Argent, six horseshoes, pierced sable. 

(I) Jeffrey Ferris, born in Leicester- 
shire, England, about 1610, came to Amer- 
ica in 1634, and is by record first located 
in Watertown, Massachusetts, where he 
was made freeman, May 6, 1635. He 
came with the first settlers, and is on the 
list of those who paid for the survey, and 
received ten acres of the first assignment 
of land. From Watertown he removed 
to Wethersfield, Connecticut, where he is 
recorded as selling his lot of forty-five 
acres to John Deming. He came with the 
first Stamford colony from Wethersfield 
in 1 64 1, and lived on the north side of 
what is now Broad street, west of Frank- 
lin street. Later he moved to Greenwich, 
Connecticut, where he died May 31, 1666. 
In 1656 he was one of the eleven Green- 
wich men who petitioned to be under New 
Haven jurisdiction. He was one of the 
original purchasers of land which now 
forms the town of Greenwich. He was 
married three times. According to tra- 
dition, his first wife was Ann, the sister 
of John Milton, the blind poet, and daugh- 
ter of John and Sarah (Jeffrey) Milton. 
"Stamford Registrations" says: "Wife to 
Jeffrey, died 31st, 5th, 1658." Also, "Su- 
sanna, wife (who was the widow of 
Robert Lockwood), married, 1659, died 
at 'Grinwich,' December 23, 1660." 



178 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



(II) James Ferris, son of Jeffrey Fer- 
ris, was born about 1643. He married 

Mary . He is named in the patent 

granted to the town of Greenwich by the 
General Assembly, in May, 1665. He 
died November 6, 1726. 

(III) James (2) Ferris, son of James 

(1) and Mary Ferris, was born December 
18, 1699, in Greenwich, Connecticut, and 
died August 17, 1739. The Christian 
name of his wife was Mary, and they were 
the parents of James (3), mentioned 
below. 

(IV) James (3) Ferris, son of James 

(2) and Mary Ferris, was born about 
1732, in Greenwich, Connecticut, and died 
May 27, 1810. He was called "old Whig," 
and was captain of a company in the Rev- 
olution. He paid this company and fed 
them out of his own pocket. Captain 
Ferris was taken prisoner by the British 
and wore a double-breasted coat having 
skirt behind with many buttons, every 
one of which was a gold guinea covered 
with cloth. When he wanted anything 
he secretly cut off a button, and the source 
of his money was a constant cause of 
wonderment to the British. The sword 
which he carried is now in the possession 
of his descendant, Theodore I. Ferris, of 
this review. He married, and was the 
father of Asa, mentioned below. 

(V) Asa Ferris, son of James (3) Fer- 
ris, was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, 
1769, and died in Stamford, Connecticut, 
May 27, 1839, aged seventy years and 
eleven days. He followed agriculture and 
was a well respected citizen of Greenwich 
until 181 5, when he moved to Stamford, 
and purchased a farm in the Simsbury 
district. He married, March 21, 1799, 
Polly Hoyt, born May 26, 1773, died May 
2, 1840, aged sixty-six years, eleven 
months and seven days, daughter of Silas 
and Sarah (Lockwood) Hoyt (see 
Hoyt V). 



(VI) Silas Hoyt Ferris, son of Asa and 
Polly (Hoyt) Ferris, was born January 15, 
1800, in Greenwich, Connecticut, and died 
February 25, 1880, in Stamford. The local 
schools of Greenwich afforded his educa- 
tion, and he followed agriculture through- 
out his lifetime. He married Charlotte 
Elizabeth Barnum, born July 7, 1808, in 
Stamford, died there August 20, 1893, 
daughter of David and Betsey (Hoyt) 
Barnum. David Barnum died April i, 
1838, aged forty-nine years, seven months. 
Mrs. Betsey (Hoyt) Barnum was a 
granddaughter of Isaac and Mary (Skeld- 
ing) Hoyt, and daughter of their son, 
Isaac (2) Hoyt, who was born August 14, 
1767, and died June 9, 1826. He married, 
May 23, 1788, Elizabeth Hait, born Sep- 
tember 8, 1765, died December 23, 1835, 
daughter of Silvanus and Elizabeth Hait. 
Isaac (2) Hoyt was a grandson of Abra- 
ham Hait, mentioned in the previous 
Hoyt line, and a descendant of Simon 
Hait, the emigrant, as shown in that line. 
Mr. and Mrs. Ferris were the parents of 
the following children : David Barnum, 
born January 2, 1839, died October 4, 
1903 ; Sarah Elizabeth, born July 12, 1841, 
died June 23, 1897; Silas Hoyt, born Oc- 
tober 10, 1844, died July 18, 1897; Theo- 
dore Isaac, mentioned below. 

(VII) Theodore Isaac Ferris, youngest 
child of Silas Hoyt and Charlotte Eliza- 
beth (Barnum) Ferris, was born May 24, 
1847, in Stamford, Connecticut. He at- 
tended the district school in the Simsbury 
district of Stamford and the Stamford 
High School. These courses were sup- 
plemented by a few terms at the Glenden- 
ning Academy, conducted by Professor 
George B. Glendenning, and a noted 
school at that time. The paternal home- 
stead has continued to be the home of 
Mr. Ferris throughout these many years, 
and he engaged in farming on an exten- 
sive scale. As the surrounding country 



179 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



grew, and houses were built more closely 
together, Mr. Ferris became interested in 
real estate. With his brother, Silas H. 
Ferris, he laid out Woodside Park, build- 
ing attractive driveways and approaches. 
A half mile race track was also built and 
this site has been the scene of many pleas- 
ant hours ; pleasant for the nature lover 
as well as the devotee of racing. The 
business of real estate in one form or an- 
other has occupied the greater part of Mr. 
Ferris's time, and he now has large and 
important real estate holdings. His resi- 
dence with its spacious grounds has a 
location unexcelled in Stamford, where 
Ferrises have lived from early Colonial 
days. Although Mr. Ferris has never 
taken an active part in municipal affairs, 
he has that interest which is at the heart 
of every good citizen. He bears the name 
of his family worthily and well, and ranks 
deservedly high in both business and fi- 
nancial circles. 

(The Hoyt Line). 

(I) Mrs. Polly (Hoyt) Ferris was a di- 
rect descendant of Simon Hait, who is 
believed to have come in the "Abigail" or 
the "George." He was in Charlestown, 
Massachusetts, among the first settlers, 
and was a first settler of Dorchester, that 
State, in 1630. Thence he removed to 
Scituate, Massachusetts, and from there 
to Windsor, Connecticut. His son, Ben- 
jamin, is mentioned below. 

(II) Benjamin Hait, son of Simon 
Hait, was born February 2, 1644, and died 
January 26, 1735. He served as fence 
viewer and surveyor, and was a member 
of the Board of Selectmen in Windsor. 
He married (first) January 5, 1670, Han- 
nah Weed, born about 1645, died Novem- 
ber 9, 1677, daughter of Jonas Weed. 

(III) Benjamin (2) Hait, son of Ben- 
pamin (1) and Hannah (W T eed) Hait, was 
born December 9, 1671, and died in 1747. 



He lived in Stamford, and was selectman 
four years. He married, June 10, 1697, 
Elizabeth Jagger, and they were members 
of the South Congregational Church. 

(IV) Abraham Hait, son of Benjamin 
(2) and Elizabeth (Jagger) Hait, was 
born June 16, 1704, and died March 16. 
1788. He was called sergeant as early as 
1754, and in 1763 served as selectman. He 
married (first) November 27, 1727, Han- 
nah Bates, and they were members of the 
church in Stamford. He married (second) 
June 3, 1748, Hannah Blachley. The old 
house that he and his family inhabited is 
still (1920) standing on the east side of 
Bedford street, opposite Oak street, owned 
by Theodore Isaac Ferris, a descendant. 
Children of Abraham Hait are: 1. Han- 
nah, born December 25, 1730, married a 
St. John. 2. Abraham, born October 13, 
1732, died August 20, 1745. 3. Isaac, born 
September 14, 1734, died 1778; married 
(first) August 5, 1761, Mary Skelding, 
(second) May 22, 1768, Sarah Hait; he 
was the grandfather of the mother of The- 
odore I. Ferris, as previously mentioned. 
4. Ezra, born April 23, 1737. 5. Silas, 
born March 2, 1739, died January 9, 1825. 
6. Sarah, born February 3, 1741, married 
John Holmes. 7. Thaddeus, born Janu- 
ary 26, 1743, married Hannah Holmes; 
he fought in General Washington's forces 
in the Revolutionary War. 8. Rachel, 
born August 7, 1745, died September 9, 
1745. 9. Mary, born August 22, 1750, 
died November 17, 1754. 10. Bates, born 
July 7, 1754, died September 4, 1776; 
when the English began the military op- 
erations in August, 1776, which resulted 
in their capture of New York City, the 
Ninth Regiment of Connecticut, in which 
was Captain Webb's company, of Stam- 
ford, marched to New York and was 
quartered on Broadway near Trinity 
Church. Bates was sergeant of this com- 
pany and Silas and Thaddeus were pri- 



180 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



vates. At the battle of Long Island, near 
Jamaica, August 27, 1776, Bates was 
wounded and died September 4, 1776. On 
one occasion, one of the sons of Abraham 
Hait, was taken prisoner in the old home, 
having been tracked to that refuge by 
blood from his wounds in the snow. This 
old home is one of the few houses in the 
locality dating to pre-Revolutionary 
times. 

(V) Silas Hoyt, son of Abraham and 
Hannah (Bates) Hait, was born March 
2, 1739, died January 9, 1825. He mar- 
ried, November 14, 1765, Sarah Lock- 
wood, and they were the parents of Polly 
Hoyt, who became the wife of Asa Ferris 
(see Ferris V). 



FERRIS, Clarence Clark, 

Attorney, Public Official. 

A sound lawyer, and with skill and 
ability to meet the demands of the day, 
Clarence C. Ferris is also a direct de- 
scendant of one of the early Colonial fam- 
ilies of Connecticut. The Ferris family is 
of Norman origin, the name being origi- 
nally spelled Feriers or Ferrers. 

(III) Samuel Ferris, son of James and 
Mary Ferris (q. v.), was born September 
21, 1706, and died April 25, 1786. He 
married Ann Lockwood, daughter of Ger- 
shom and Mary Lockwood, born in 1713, 
died July 2, 1789. 

(IV) Stephen Ferris, son of Samuel 
and Ann (Lockwood) Ferris, was born 
December 27, 1740, and died February 12, 
1824. He married Sarah H. Lockwood, 
who died November 23, 1848. 

(V) Samuel (2) Ferris, son of Stephen 
and Sarah H. (Lockwood) Ferris, was 
born January 25, 1787, and died June 1, 
1842. He was captain of militia in the 
War of 1812, and took his company to the 
beach at Old Greenwich, now called 
Sound Beach, when invasion by the Brit- 



ish was feared. On January 7, 181 1, he 
married Esther Ferris, born October 12, 
1792, died March 11, 1881, daughter of 
Nathaniel Ferris. 

(VI) Samuel Holmes Ferris, son of Sam- 
uel (2) and Esther (Ferris) Ferris, was 
born December 12, 1827, and died Decem- 
ber 25, 1888. He was a farmer throughout 
his lifetime and a very public-spirited citi- 
zen. In association with the late Amasa A. 
Marks, Mr. Ferris was a leading spirit in 
securing the appropriation of money to 
build a new school house at Sound Beach, 
about 1877. Mr. Ferris married, Decem- 
ber 19, 1 861, Mary Clark, daughter of 
Daniel Clark, of Haddam ; she was born 
April 16, 1838, and died October 15, 1886. 
Their children were : Harry Burr, and 
Clarence Clark, of whom further. 

(VII) Clarence Clark Ferris, son of 
Samuel Holmes and Mary (Clark) Ferris, 
was born February 15, 1864, and prepared 
for college at the Claverack Academy, and 
Hudson River Institute, Claverack, Co- 
lumbia county, New York, under the well 
known Dr. Alonzo Flack, an educator of 
great individuality, and Professor Wil- 
liam McAfee, Yale College, class of 1864. 
In 1887 Mr. Ferris graduated from Yale 
College with the degree of B. A., and in 
1892 from Columbia University with the 
degree of LL. B. After graduation in 
1887, Mr. Ferris was principal of the pub- 
lic schools of Colchester, Connecticut, 
holding a similar position in Manchester, 
Connecticut, the following year. In 1891 
he was admitted to the bar in New York 
and has always practiced alone. Mr. 
Ferris specializes in condemnation pro- 
ceedings and has made a signal success in 
his chosen field. 

Always keenly interested in public mat- 
ters, although not coming from an office- 
holding family, he has taken part in civic 
affairs in his adopted town, Scarsdale, 
Westchester county, New York. In poli- 



181 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



tics he is a Democrat, and in 1916 was a 
candidate for the New York Senate from 
Westchester county, running an average 
of two thousand votes ahead of the rest 
of the ticket. He is a member of the 
National Democratic Club of New York 
City, and maintains his residence in Scars- 
dale, Westchester county. With his 
brother, Professor Harry Burr Ferris, of 
New Haven, Mr. Ferris owns fifty-six 
acres of the original farm granted to their 
ancestor and which is now under lease to 
the Sound Beach Golf and Country Club. 

While at Columbia University, Mr. 
Ferris became a member of the Delta Up- 
silon fraternity, and is also a member of 
Delta Phi, the legal fraternity having 
chapters in most law schools. 

Mr. Ferris married Bertha Vincent 
Odell, daughter of Edward Valentine 
Odell, the latter born in Hyde Park, 
Dutchess county, but Mrs. Ferris was 
born in New York City. Mr. and Mrs. 
Ferris are the parents of the following 
children : Richard Odell, born September 
14, 1914; and Jeffrey, born June 20, 1916. 
Mr. Ferris and his family attend the Pres- 
byterian church of Scarsdale. 

(The Lockwood Line). 

Robert Lockwood came to New Eng- 
land about 1630, and settled in Water- 
town, Massachusetts. He was admitted 
a freeman March 9, 1636-37. As early as 
1641 he was recorded a settler in Fair- 
field, Connecticut, and died in 1658. For 
a time he lived at Norwalk, Connecticut. 
His wife was Susannah, and they were the 
parents of Lieutenant Gershom Lock- 
wood, of whom further. 

Lieutenant Gershom Lockwood was 
born September 6, 1643, at Watertown, 
and died March 12, 1718-19, at Greenwich. 
He was nine years of age when he re- 
moved to Greenwich wifh his father and 
became one of the twenty-seven propri- 



etors. By occupation he was a carpenter, 
and also held many positions of trust in 
the town. Lieutenant Lockwood married 
Lady Ann Millington, daughter of Lord 
Millington, of England. She came to 
New England in search of her lover, a 
British army officer. Failing to find him, 
she taught school and afterwards married 
Gershom Lockwood. In 1660 her parents 
sent her a large oak chest, ingeniously 
carved and strongly built. Tradition says 
it contained a half-bushel of guineas, 
many fine silk dresses and other valu- 
ables. This chest is now in the possession 
of Clarence Clark Ferris, of Greenwich. 
A photograph of the chest may be seen 
in "History of the Lockwood Family," 
also in "Colonial Furniture," by Luke 
Vincent Lockwood. The only part of the 
story open to question is the amount of 
guineas the chest contained. The grand- 
mother of Mr. Ferris was sure the rest of 
the story was true. 

Gershom (2) Lockwood, the eldest son 
of Lieutenant Gershom and Ann Lock- 
wood, was born in Greenwich, and was 
made a freeman February 7, 1693. He 
married Mary, and their daughter, Ann 
Lockwood, became the wife of Samuel 
Ferris, as above noted. 



SKIDDY, William Wheelright, 

Manufacturer, Philanthropist. 

In recent years the struggle for busi- 
ness supremacy has narrowed the horizon 
of too many men. Here and there men 
stand out from among the multitude, 
frankly opening their hearts and minds to 
the broad, general interests which lift so- 
ciety from the level of the sordid and place 
it on a higher plane. 

William W. Skiddy believes that the 
surest way to advance the welfare of the 
individual is to aid the individual to un- 
derstand and accept the mental, moral and 



182 




■ 



..-'■- 







e)/fcCo£^C, 




ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



spiritual standards of the community. In 
his own way, he is constantly acting upon 
this theory. 

The family name became Skiddy 
through William W. Skiddy's father, 
whose name was properly William Tay- 
lor, adopting for his surname "Skiddy" 
as hereinafter stated. 

The founding of this family in this 
country dates back to three brothers 
in Scotland, Zachariah, John and Wil- 
liam. Zachariah Taylor, the original 
ancestor of Zachary Taylor, twelfth 
president of the United States, came to 
this country and went to Culpepper, Vir- 
ginia. John Taylor went to Albany, New 
York. William Taylor resided in New 
York City. William Taylor married a 
Miss Van Pelt, known as one of the 
Knickerbockers, descendants of the Hol- 
landers. Miss Van Pelt was the daughter 
of Teunisse Van Pelt, who immigrated 
from Leige in 1663, with his father. They 
had three daughters and one son, Richard, 
who graduated from Yale, and one daugh- 
ter married Judge Kent, of New York. 
William Taylor took the oath of alle- 
giance in 1687, his name appearing on 
various records. In 1674 he received a 
grant of land on Staten Island, consisting 
of ninety-eight acres. 

Benjamin Taylor, a son of William 
Taylor, was in the Colonial-English 
army in 1753 or 1754, and was in the cam- 
paign against the French and Indians at 
Fort Duquesne. He was captured and 
taken to Quebec as a prisoner, later sent 
to France with other prisoners and con- 
fined in prison in Havre de Gras, and re- 
turned to America about 1762. Benjamin 
Taylor was buried in the Methodist Cem- 
etery in Johnville, Fishkill, New York, 
the tombstone giving his death as of Sep- 
tember 12, 1831, at the age of ninety-four 
years. About 1763 he married, at Ver- 
planck's Point, Jemima Foster, daughter 



of Ebenezer and Desire (Cushman) Fos- 
ter. Benjamin Taylor's sons were James, 
of further mention ; Augustus ; and Jus- 
tus, of further mention. 

James Taylor was born in Peekskill, 
New York, and as a young man entered 
the Continental army and was with Gen- 
eral Washington at Valley Forge. He 
later married Salome Partridge, and went 
to Westford, Vermont. They had four- 
teen children, but two died in infancy. 
The others were : Lucius, Benjamin, Isa- 
bella, James and Foster, born in Mas- 
sachusetts ; Salome, Amos, Amelita, and 
Alpha born in Peekskill ; Augustus, Eliza- 
beth Lent and William Skiddy, born in 
Westford, Vermont. His youngest son, 
William Skiddy Taylor, married a Miss 
Depew, of Peekskill, and later went 
West, where he died. 

The descent of the Foster family has 
been traced back to the year 837 in Flan- 
ders, showing a descendancy line of 
twenty-three generations up to Reginald, 
who embarked for America in 1638. The 
ancestor of this branch of the family was 
John Foster, born in England, 1626. He 
came over with Roger Conant and landed 
at Plymouth, Massachusetts. He be- 
came a freeman, May 24, 1682, and died 
in March, 1688. About 1649, he married 
Martha Tomkins, a daughter of Ralph 
and Katherine (Aborn) Tomkins, who 
was born about 1630. Their son, the Hon. 
John Foster, was born in 1649. He lived 
in Salem, where he was one of the most 
prominent citizens. He served as moder- 
ator, representative and justice of the 
peace. John Foster married, in 1672, 
Mary Stuard. She died about 1690, and 
he died in 1714. Their son, Major Foster, 
was born November 15, 1680, in Salem. 
On December 4, 1704, Major Foster mar- 
ried, in Roxbury, Margaret Ware, and 
their son, Ebenezer Foster, married De- 
sire Cushman, a descendant of Robert 



183 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Cushman ; and their daughter, Jemima, 
born July 6, 1741, married, at Verplanck's 
Point, Benjamin Taylor, as already 
stated. 

The Cushman descent is as follows : 
Robert Cushman, the ancestor of all the 
Cushmans in the United States, was born 
in England between the years 1580 and 
1585. He was a Puritan, and a member of 
the church of Rev. John Robinson, who 
emigrated to Holland during the years 
1607 and 1608. After residing in Amster- 
dam about a year they removed to Ley- 
den, where during the succeeding years 
the congregation grew to about three hun- 
dred communicants. In 1617 Robert 
Cushman and Deacon John Carver were 
selected to go to London and open ne- 
gotiations with the Virginia Company 
for liberty to settle in North America, and 
"to see if the King would give them lib- 
erty of conscience there." The history of 
those negotiations is familiar to all. They 
found their mission a difficult one, but 
after great procrastination and long and 
tedious negotiation, a patent was finally 
obtained by which they were permitted 
to settle in America. As it finally turned 
out, this patent was never used, but the 
Pilgrims were determined to emigrate to 
America. Friends finally supplied the fi- 
nancial aid necessary. Deacon Carver 
and Robert Cushman were sent to Eng- 
land to receive the money and provide for 
the voyage. Again the delays were many 
and vexatious. The "Speedwell" was ob- 
tained in Holland, a ship of only sixty 
tons, smaller than the average fishing 
smack that goes to the Grand Banks. In 
the meantime, Robert Cushman had hired 
in London a larger vessel, the "May- 
flower," of about one hundred and eighty 
tons, and had sent her to Southampton to 
meet his comrades from Holland. When 
the two vessels sailed from Southampton, 
August 5, 1620, Robert Cushman and his 



family were among the passengers, but 
when it was decided that the "Speedwell" 
should be abandoned, the Cushmans, 
greatly disappointed, were among the 
number returned to London because the 
"Mayflower" could not carry the entire 
party. In London, Robert Cushman 
acted as the agent of the Pilgrims who 
had emigrated, and as a leader of those 
who had been compelled to remain be- 
hind. The following year Robert Cush- 
man secured the "Fortune," a small ves- 
sel of fifty tons, and a party of thirty-six, 
including the Cushmans, set sail for 
America, arriving off Cape Cod, Novem- 
ber 9, 1621. Robert Cushman remained 
in the colony only about a month, it be- 
ing necessary for him to return to Eng- 
land to look after business affairs of the 
colony. He was allotted an acre of land 
in the first allotment which was made in 
1623, but at that time was in England and 
was destined not to return to America. 
In 1623, in connection with Edward 
Winslow. Robert Cushman negotiated the 
charter for the settlement of what is 
now Gloucester, Massachusetts. Robert 
Cushman died in January or February, 
1625. He "was one of the most distin- 
guished characters among the collection 
of worthies who quitted England on ac- 
count of their religious difficulties." "He 
was one of the first movers and main 
instruments of the Puritan dissent of 
England, their pilgrimage to Holland, and 
their final settlement in America," and 
history has given him a high place among 
the leaders of the Pilgrim Fathers. 

Elder Thomas Cushman, born in Eng- 
land in February, 1608, accompanied his 
father to America. He was left in the 
care of Governor Bradford when his fa- 
ther returned to England. On January 1, 
1633, Thomas Cushman was admitted to 
the freedom of the society. He served as 
juryman in 1635, and in that year, or 



184 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



1636, he married Mary, the third child of 
Isaac Allerton, who came in the "May- 
flower." In 1637 he received a grant of 
land and later he removed to what is now 
Kingston, where he spent the remainder 
of his life. In 1645 ne purchased Princess 
farm. In 1649 ^ e was appointed ruling 
elder of the church in Plymouth, and con- 
tinued in the office until his death. He 
was the principal witness to Governor 
Bradford's will, and inventoried his estate. 
Thomas Cushman died December 10 or 
11, 1 69 1. From the records of the First 
Church at Plymouth, the following quota- 
tion is made : " * * * He was grave, 
sober, holy and temperate, very studious 
and solicitous for the peace and prosperity 
of the church and to prevent and heale all 
breaches." He left quite an estate for 
those days, indicating that he was pros- 
perous and thrifty. After the dismissal 
of Rev. Mr. Rayner, in 1654, and until the 
settlement of Rev. Mr. Cotton, in 1657, 
he conducted the religious services twice 
on every Sunday, and during that time 
was the only preacher the church had. 
He was a participant in the making of the 
first treaty with Massachusetts and Sam- 
oset. Mary (Allerton) Cushman, his 
wife, was about eleven years of age when 
she came over in the "Mayflower." She 
was the last survivor of the Pilgrim band, 
dying seven or eight years after her hus- 
band, at the advanced age of ninety years. 
They reared a family of seven children, 
all of whom married. 

Thomas Cushman, the third in this line 
of descent, was born September 16, 1637. 
On November 17, 1664, he married Ruth, 
daughter of John Howland, whose name 
was thirteenth on the list of forty-one 
persons who signed the memorable com- 
pact in the cabin of the "Mayflower." At 
that time he was twenty-eight years of 
age. Thomas Cushman was during a 
long life a member of the Congregational 



church in Plympton. He died August 23, 
1726. 

Samuel Cushman, son of Thomas Cush- 
man, was born July 16, 1687. He mar- 
ried Fear Corser, December 8, 1709. They 
were members of the church in Plympton. 
In 1727 they removed to Attleboro. Their 
eldest child was Desire Cushman, born 
September 18, 1710. On September 17, 
1730, she married Ebenezer Foster, who 
was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, 
August 20, 1709. Their daughter was 
Jemima Foster, born July 6, 1741, who 
married Benjamin Taylor. 

Justus Taylor, the youngest son of Ben- 
jamin and Jemima (Foster) Taylor, was 
the owner of a vessel trading between 
New York and West Indies. On a trip 
to the latter place he contracted yellow 
fever, was brought back to Peekskill, New 
York, but never recovered, and died and 
was buried there. His widow, who was 
formerly Rosetta Place, subsequently 
married Captain John Skiddy, and when 
she married Captain Skiddy she had one 
son, William. 

Captain William (Taylor) Skiddy was 
a child, when his mother married for the 
second time, and when he went to school 
he took the name of his mother's second 
husband. In course of time he decided, 
having an independent spirit, to take care 
of himself, and accordingly ran away, 
going to England, where he had relatives. 
These relatives sent him to some of their 
intimate friends in Bordeaux, France, 
and there he remained for several years 
attending school, but finally returned to 
the United States and entered the United 
States navy. In the War of 1812, he was 
a midshipman on the United States 
steamship "Hornet," and took part in the 
battle with the British sloop, "Penguin," 
March 15, 181 5. He was later in another 
engagement, was captured and sent to 
England as a prisoner, where he was kept 



185 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



for several months in the famous Dart- 
more Prison, and finally was released and 
returned to the United States, when he 
became a naval architect and builder. He 
was associated in that capacity with two 
or three of the important shipping con- 
cerns of New York, among them the 
house of Grinnell Minton & Company 
and Howland & Aspinwall. It was the 
custom in those days for the large houses 
engaged in foreign commerce to build and 
operate their own vessels, known as 
"clippers," and Captain Skiddy would 
build a vessel for them with the agree- 
ment that he was to command her on her 
maiden voyage, selling her cargo at one 
port and buying at that port to sell at 
another port. When this voyage was 
completed, he would design and build an- 
other vessel and in turn go out with her 
for the maiden voyage. Captain Skiddy 
was occupied in this way until 1840. He 
married, in England, his second wife, 
Mary A. Anderson, daughter of an Eng- 
lish judge, and then returned to America 
with his bride and settled in New York 
City, where he established himself in 
private practice as a naval architect, mak- 
ing contracts to design, build and equip 
vessels, and turn them over to their own- 
ers complete and ready for sea. When 
steamships began to supplant sailing ves- 
sels, he turned his attention to designing 
the more modern craft, of which he built 
a large number, among them being the 
old side-wheelers, "Argo" and "Fulton," 
of the French Line, running from New 
York to Havre ; the "Jamestown" and 
"Yorktown," which plied between New 
York and Richmond, Virginia, and many 
others. 

In 1858 he moved from New York City 
to Stamford, Connecticut, building a res- 
idence on the site now occupied by the 
present United States Post Office. He 
practically retired from active work, al- 



though he occasionally acted as consult- 
ing architect and supervised in the con- 
struction of steamers. Captain Skiddy 
was much interested in all charitable and 
philanthropic movements. After moving 
to Stamford, he was greatly disturbed by 
the unsanitary condition in which he 
found many of the dependent poor, and as 
the result of his agitation the town of 
Stamford gave up the practice of "letting 
out" its paupers, and established a poor 
farm. Captain Skiddy was a fine exam- 
ple of a constructive, broadminded and 
charitable citizen, always trying to con- 
tribute to the progress and development 
of the day. 

William Wheelright Skiddy, son of 
Captain William and Mary A. (Ander- 
son) Skiddy, was born in New York City, 
April 26, 1845. His early life was passed 
in New York, and there he received an 
excellent education. He attended the 
Anthon Private School and prepared for 
college at the Russel Military Academy 
of New Haven, graduating from the Shef- 
field Scientific School in 1865 with the 
degree of Ph. B. He then entered the 
office of his uncle, Francis Skiddy, in 
Wall street, New York City, and three 
years later became associated with E. A. 
Quintard (who married his eldest sister), 
in the coal mining interests in Pennsyl- 
vania, and was thus occupied for eight 
years. In the meantime, he had married 
Eleanor Mott Gay, a daughter of William 
Gay, of Stamford, Connecticut. The lat- 
ter was interested in the Stamford Man- 
ufacturing Company, and was its presi- 
dent. In June, 1875, Mr. Skiddy became 
connected with the Stamford Manufactur- 
ing Company. Being determined to mas- 
ter the business in all its branches, he 
commenced by helping to unload logwood 
and other raw materials received in ves- 
sels from the West Indies ; he donned 
overalls and continued to work step by 



186 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



step until he had gone through all of the 
departments and had a thorough and 
practical knowledge of every detail in the 
manufacture of the company's products. 
After devoting several years in secur- 
ing this knowledge, he was soon made 
a member of the board of directors. In 
1887 he was elected president of the com- 
pany, and the business grew very rapidly 
in size and importance. At the time it 
was destroyed by fire, February 19, 1919, 
it was seven or eight times as large as 
when he became connected with it, or in 
other words, in 1875, about seven thou- 
sand tons of raw material were required 
for the extracts manufactured each year, 
and at the time of the fire they required 
one thousand tons per week. The prod- 
ucts went all over the world, and such 
was the company's reputation that its 
prices were universally accepted as the 
basis on which all other dye products 
were priced. At the "Exchange" in Ham- 
burg, Germany, when quotations were 
quoted on various natural dyes, the ques- 
tion immediately asked before any busi- 
ness could be transacted was "what is 
the price of Stamford?" The company 
manufactured all kinds of natural dyes 
for silk, cotton, wool and leather. The 
business was established in 1796 and was 
incorporated as the Stamford Manufac- 
turing Company in 1844, and was the 
acknowledged leader of its line in the 
world. At the time of the disaster, about 
five hundred men were employed. Dur- 
ing the years that had passed, many 
changes, both mechanical and chemical, 
had been made in methods and processes, 
the machinery more and more supplant- 
ing human labor. On the basis of 1876, 
it would have required at the time of the 
fire fifteen hundred hands to turn out 
the product that science and progress 
made possible for five hundred to do. To 
see a business thus carefully nurtured for 



nearly half a century wiped out overnight 
is a staggering blow. Great as was the 
financial loss, there was another loss less 
tangible, but perhaps even harder to bear. 
To live with an idea for any enterprise is 
but the concrete expression of an idea, year 
after year to see it grow and develop into 
sturdy strength, winning world-wide rec- 
ognition, and then in a few hours to be 
destroyed as if it had never been, the 
sense of loss can be apprehended only by 
one who has experienced it. He imme- 
diately started plans for rebuilding the 
plant, but the advice of friends that it 
was too great a task to be undertaken at 
his time of life finally convinced him that 
he was wrong and so he decided to give 
up active commercial life. 

He was vice-president and director of 
the Stamford National Bank for many 
years, and when it was merged with the 
First National Bank under the name of 
the First Stamford National Bank, he was 
elected a vice-president and director of 
the new organization. For many years he 
has been a director of the Stamford Sav- 
ings Bank, a director of the Stamford 
Trust Company, and a director of the 
Morris Plan Bank. His fraternal affili- 
ations are as follows: Union Lodge, No. 
5, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons ; 
Rittenhouse Chapter, No. 11, Royal Arch 
Masons ; the Suburban Club of Stamford ; 
Yale and University clubs of New York ; 
Graduate Club of New Haven ; Society of 
the War of 1812; Church clubs of New 
York and Connecticut, etc. He has 
served as president of the Connecticut 
Church Club ; as chairman of the trustees 
of the Church Club of New York; and 
was one time president of the Church 
Conference of the United States. For 
many years he was a member of St. 
John's Episcopal Church of Stamford, 
Connecticut, serving as warden and dele- 

87 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



gate to the Diocesan Convention for forty 
years. 

He resides in New York City during 
the winter months, being identified there 
with Grace Church, and being a delegate 
of the Diocese of New York. He was a 
delegate to the General Convention of the 
Protestant Episcopal Church from 1886 
to 1898, representing the Diocese of Con- 
necticut, and since 1898 has been treas- 
urer of the General Convention. For 
more than twenty-five years he has been 
interested as director and officer in the 
Boys' Club of New York City, which has 
over eight thousand members. This club 
has a large and complete house at the 
corner of Avenue A and Tenth street, and 
a large summer camp in Jamesport, Long 
Island, which he is actively interested in, 
as well as the summer home for children 
belonging to Grace Parish of New York 
and which is located near New Canaan, 
Connecticut. 

In politics, Mr. Skiddy was a Democrat 
until 1896, and during that time was a 
delegate to the convention in Chicago 
which nominated Grover Cleveland for 
president. He was brigadier-general of 
commissary under Governor Thomas 
Waller. While he was a student at the 
Russell Military School, during the Civil 
War, he was among those detailed to drill 
some of the three months' volunteers. 
There was little knowledge of military 
training at that time. Several companies 
belonging to the First and Second regi- 
ments were trained at Halleck's Point in 
New Haven, and General Russell was 
asked to detail some of his boys to train 
these companies, and young Skiddy, who 
was then captain of the second company 
at the school, was among those selected. 
He spent a month at the camp thus em- 
ployed and was asked to go out as first 
lieutenant and was eager to do so, but on 
account of his youth it was impossible. 



As a loyal Yale man he has always been 
interested in everything pertaining to 
Yale, and in June, 1890, at the alumni 
meeting in New Haven, he proposed the 
establishing of a Yale Alumni University 
Fund Association and offered a resolution 
to that purpose, which was adopted and 
unanimously approved the following day 
at the annual alumni lunch. The associ- 
ation has been most successful and has 
become an important asset to the Univer- 
sity, having contributed up to the present 
time over $3,800,000. While at Yale he 
was interested in rowing and has retained 
his interest in that sport. In the Class 
Biographical Records of Yale, it states 
that from 1900 to 1905, inclusive, Yale 
won ever varsity race at New London, 
during which time he was graduate ad- 
visor. 

Mr. Skiddy married, in April, 1867, 
Eleanor Mott Gay, the daughter of Wil- 
liam Gay, of Stamford, Connecticut, and 
they had three children : William, de- 
ceased ; Lillie, wife of Willard Parker, Jr., 
class of 1890, Yale ; and Adele, wife of 
R. W. Carle, class of 1897, Yale. 



TREADWELL, John Prime, 

Man of Affairs. 

From the time of the earliest Colonial 
settlements the name of Treadwell is 
found in the annals of Massachusetts and 
Connecticut. Members of this family, 
descendants from the two immigrants, 
Charles and Edward Treadwell, are to be 
found occupying positions of trust and 
responsibility in many of our cities. One 
of these notable descendants was Gover- 
nor John Treadwell, of Colonial days. 
The Rev. John Treadwell was a scholar 
of repute. So it is today ; descendants 
bearing the name of Treadwell occupy 
honored places among their fellow-citi- 
zens. John Prime Treadwell, president of 



188 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



the National Bank of Norwalk, is another 
worthy scion of this family. 

There were varied ways of designating 
families prior to the thirteenth century. 
The most common one was according to 
the location of homes, and the surname of 
Treadwell is thus derived. It is a com- 
pound of tread and well. The first half, 
tread, is the old English word for path 
or pathway ; well was originally wiella, 
old English for spring. We therefore 
have the derivation of path by a well, near 
which resided a family who were thus 
designated. It was very natural for this 
family to assume this name when the use 
of surnames came into vogue. 

The earliest mention of the name of 
Treadwell in America is found on the 
Dorchester records in March, 1637, when 
the name of Thomas Treadwell is re- 
corded. This Thomas Treadwell is be- 
lieved to have been a brother of Edward 
Treadwell. 

(I) Edward Treadwell also appears in 
Litchfield, Connecticut, in 1637. He re- 
moved soon after to Huntington, Long 
Island, where he died, in 1660. He had 
a son Samuel, of whom further. 

(II) Samuel Treadwell married Ruth 
Wheeler, daughter of Ephraim Wheeler, 
and removed to Fairfield, Connecticut. 
He was undoubtedly the father of 
Thomas Treadwell. 

(III) Thomas Treadwell was born 
about 1683, and was settled early in Fair- 
field, Connecticut, and was the father of 
Hezekiah Treadwell. 

(IV) Hezekiah Treadwell was born in 
1708, and died in 1761. He held the rank 
of lieutenant in the militia company. 
With his family he removed to Stratford, 
then to New Milford, Connecticut. In 
1730 he married Mehetable Minor, born 
in 1709, died in 1763. They were the 
parents of a son, Hezekiah (2) Treadwell. 

(V) Hezekiah (2) Treadwell was born 



February 14, 1741, one of twins. He lived 
first in Stratford, and later in New Milford, 
Connecticut. He married (first) in 1763, 
Sally Banks, of Stratford, who died in 
1776-77. He married (second) March 
17, 1779, Abiah Stilson, born in Newtown, 
Connecticut, in 1751, died October 27, 
1793, in New Milford, Connecticut. She 
was the mother of Samuel Treadwell. 

(VI) Samuel Treadwell was born May 
5, 1788, in New Milford, Connecticut. 
He followed the occupation of blacksmith, 
and was among the esteemed citizens of 
his native town. On December 23, 1810, 
he married Jane Prime, born November 
11, 1782, daughter of Asa Prime, who 
was among the first settlers of Milford. 
They were the parents of a son, John 
Prime Treadwell, of whom further. (See 
Prime V). 

(VII) John Prime Treadwell, son of 
Samuel and Jane (Prime) Treadwell, was 
born in New Milford, Connecticut, Octo- 
ber 6, 181 1. He was twelve years of age 
when he left home and came to Norwalk, 
making part of the journey on foot and 
helped by rides with drivers. From Nor- 
walk he went to New York City by water, 
where he went to work as a bell-boy in 
the old Franklin House. He soon showed 
that he was made of the right kind of 
stuff, and won the confidence of his em- 
ployers. He was promoted from one po- 
sition to another, mastering every detail 
of the hotel business as it was carried on 
in that day. His honesty, efficiency and 
sound judgment so appealed to the own- 
ers of the Franklin House that they built 
the hotel which for many years was 
known as the St. Nicholas, for the express 
purpose of giving Mr. Treadwell an op- 
portunity to engage in the hotel business 
on his own account. He first formed a 
partnership with a man named Hays, and 
under the firm name, Treadwell & Hays, 
they opened the St. Nicholas Hotel. 



189 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



After a while the late Captain Acker, of 
Brooklyn, succeeded Mr. Hays in the 
partnership, the firm name being Tread- 
well & Acker. Mr. Acker later sold his 
interest to a Mr. Whitcomb, and the 
firm name became Treadwell, Whitcomb 
& Company. During all these years 
the St. Nicholas held a high place in 
popular esteem. About i860 Mr. Tread- 
well decided to retire from the hotel 
business. Going back to his native town, 
he. purchased what was known as the 
Perry Smith property, a farm of some two 
hundred acres, and after remodelling the 
dwelling, removed his family to their new 
home and settled down to the life of a 
gentleman farmer. He was quiet and re- 
tiring in his disposition, and preferred the 
pleasures of the family circle to all other 
attractions. 

Mr. Treadwell married, December 8, 
1841, Mary E. Lockwood, daughter of 
Buckingham St. John Lockwood, a 
descendant of Robert Lockwood. Of 
their children three grew up: Mary Eliza- 
beth, now deceased; Julia Abigail, mar- 
ried Mortimer McRoberts, of Chicago, 
now deceased ; and John Prime (2) 
Treadwell. 

(VIII) John Prime (2) Treadwell, son 
of John Prime (1) and Mary E. (Lock- 
wood) Treadwell, was born August 17, 
1854, in New York City. He grew to 
manhood in New Bedford, being edu- 
cated in the public schools. He then be- 
came a clerk in the Fairfield National 
Bank of Norwalk. After two or three 
years Mr. Treadwell returned to New 
Milford, his father having died, and he 
assumed the responsibilities of the home- 
stead with his sisters and mother, the 
latter at that time being an invalid. In 
addition to carrying on the farm and look- 
ing after other interests connected with 
the estate, Mr. Treadwell put roads 
through part of the farm, which was in 



the northern part of the village, thus 
opening up a number of fine building lots. 
In 1883 Mr. Treadwell returned to Nor- 
walk and became teller in the institution 
of which he is now president. Beginning 
in the teller's cage, he was promoted suc- 
cessively to assistant cashier, vice-presi- 
dent, and president, succeeding the late 
Congressman Hill as chief executive of 
the bank upon the death of the latter 
about two years ago. 

Mr. Treadwell was a director for many 
years of the old Danbury & Norwalk 
Railroad before it was absorbed by the 
New York, New Haven & Hartford Rail- 
road ; was a director of the Norwalk Gas 
Company, and the Norwalk Street Rail- 
way Company, both of which were ab- 
sorbed by larger organizations. Mr. 
Treadwell is now a director of the Fairfield 
County Savings Bank, the New Milford 
Water Company, and of the Norwalk 
Public Library ; also treasurer of the Nor- 
walk Historical and Memorial Library 
Association. Mr. Treadwell affiliates 
with St. John's Lodge, No. 6, Free and 
Accepted Masons, of which he was treas- 
urer for many years ; Butler Chapter, No. 
38, Royal Arch Masons ; Clinton Com- 
mandery, No. 3, Knights Templar; Our 
Brother's Lodge, No. 10, Independent Or- 
der of Odd Fellows. He is a member of 
the Norwalk Club, Norwalk Country Club 
and the Roxbury Club. 

Mr. Treadwell married, October 12, 
1880, Millicent Clarissa Booth, daughter 
of Charles Herd and Millicent (Cross) 
Booth, and they are the parents of two 
children: 1. John Prime (3), born Au- 
gust 16, 1881, now comptroller of the 
American Bank Note Company of New 
York City, and resides at Mount Vernon, 
New York ; he married Mabel S. Carter, 
of Easton, Pennsylvania, and they have 
two children: John Prime (4), and Car- 
ter. 2. Henry Resseguie, born December 

190 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



3, 1884, now manager of the American 
Bank Note Company, who also resides 
in Mt. Vernon, New York; he married 
Hilda M. Goldsmith, of New York City, 
and they have two children : Elizabeth 
Lunt, and Barbara Booth. 

(The Prime Line). 

Two brothers, James and Mark Prime, 
were natives of Doncaster, Yorkshire, 
England. In order to escape the persecu- 
tions of King Charles I. they came to 
America. There Mark Prime settled, in 
Rowley, Massachusetts, and James Prime 
settled in Milford, Connecticut, in 1644. 
James Prime died in 1685. He had a son, 
James (2) Prime. 

(II) James (2) Prime was a large land- 
holder. He was an original proprietor 
of New Milford, through purchase, in 
1702. Tradition claims he lived to the 
great age of one hundred and three years. 
His wife's name was Sarah, and she died 
August 20, 1721. They were the parents 
of a son, James (3). 

(III) Deacon James (3) Prime pur- 
chased his father's rights in New Milford, 
and removed there in 1716 with his wife 
Anna. They lived in what was known as 
Park Lane. Their eldest son was Wil- 
liam. 

(IV) William Prime was married Oc- 
tober 31, 1739, to Sarah, daughter of 
Henry Garlick, and they were the parents 
of Asa Prime. 

(V) Asa Prime was born July 17, 1753. 
He married, June 25, 1777, Phebe Res- 
seguie. Their daughter Jane became the 
wife of Samuel Treadwell. (See Tread- 
well VI). 

(The Lockwood Line). 

(I) Robert Lockwood came about 1630 
from England and settled at Watertown, 
Massachusetts. He was made a freeman 
March 9, 1636-37, and removed in 1646 
to Fairfield, Connecticut, where he died 



in 1658. On May 20, 1652, he was made a 
freeman in Fairfield. His wife, whose 
Christian name was Susannah, died De- 
cember 23, 1660, in Greenwich, Connecti- 
cut. 

(II) Ephraim Lockwood, son of Rob- 
ert and Susannah Lockwood, was born 
December 1, 1641, in Watertown, and re- 
moved to Connecticut with his father. He 
married, June 8, 1664, Mercy St. John, 
daughter of Matthias St. John, of Nor- 
walk. He was made a freeman in Octo- 
ber, 1667. They were the parents of a 
son, Eliphalet Lockwood. 

(III) Deacon Eliphalet Lockwood, son 
of Ephraim and Mercy (St. John) Lock- 
wood, was born February 27, 1675-76, in 
Norwalk, Connecticut, and died October 
14, 1753. He married, October 11, 1699, 
Mary Gold, born about 1673, daughter of 
John Gold. She died March 6, 1761. 
They were the parents of a son, Peter 
Lockwood. 

(IV) Peter Lockwood, son of Deacon 
Eliphalet (1) and Mary (Gold) Lock- 
wood, was born March 16, 1710-11, in 
Norwalk, Connecticut, and died in 1775, 
at Danbury, Connecticut. He served as 
representative from Norwalk in six differ- 
ent sessions between 1755 and 1764. He 
married (first) September 8, 1737, Abigail 
Hawley, daughter of the Rev. Thomas 
Hawley, of Ridgefield, who died June 6, 
1749. They were the parents of Eliphalet 
(2) Lockwood. 

(V) Captain Eliphalet (2) Lockwood, 
son of Peter and Abigail (Hawley) Lock- 
wood, was born October 17, 1741, in Nor- 
walk. He enlisted in the First Company, 
Colonel Charles Webb's Seventh Con- 
necticut regiment, July 12, 1775. He rep- 
resented Norwalk seven times in the Leg- 
islature. On January 8, 1766, he married 
Susannah St. John, daughter of Joseph 
St. John. They were the parents of Buck- 
ingham St. John Lockwood. 



191 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



(VI) Colonel Buckingham St. John 
Lockwood, son of Captain Eliphalet (2) 
and Susannah (St. John) Lockwood, 
was born December 23, 1774, and died 
February 10, 1850. He married, February 
17, 1808, Polly Esther St. John, born 
March 10, 1783, died October 20, 1850, 
daughter of William and Mary Esther 
(Belden) St. John. They were the par- 
ents of Mary Esther Lockwood. 

(VII) Mary Esther Lockwood, daugh- 
ter of Colonel Buckingham St. John and 
Polly Esther (St. John) Lockwood, was 
born September 25, 1815, in Norwalk, 
Connecticut, and died May 11, 1880, in 
Xew Milford. She became the wife of 
John Prime (1) Treadwell. (See Tread- 
well VII). 



JUDD, William Hawley, 

Man of Enterprise. 

The Judd family is one of the oldest in 
New England, and has been identified 
with Connecticut since 1636, when the 
immigrant ancestor of the family came 
to Hartford with Rev. Thomas Hooker. 
From that time to the present the family 
has been prominent in the commercial, 
industrial, social and political life of the 
State. In every time of national peril 
this family has borne its share of the com- 
mon burden. William H. Judd, of Stam- 
ford, is a worthy representative of those 
sturdy, right-thinking, right-living ances- 
tors who helped to give New England its 
present and beneficent influence on the 
life of this country. 

The name of Judd is among the oldest 
of English surnames. We find Henry 
Judde recorded in the Hundred Rolls. 
No doubt he was from France, where the 
name Jude was common. It is derived 
from Judah. meaning praise, the name 
given by Jacob to his fourth son, who 
was the founder of the greatest and most 
populous of the twelve tribes of Israel. 



(I) The founder of this family was 
Deacon Thomas Judd, born in England 
in 1608, and who settled in Cambridge, 
Massachusetts, in 1633-34. He was 
granted a home lot there in 1634, located 
in the West End on the Watertown road. 
He was granted more land in the follow- 
ing year and on May 25th of that year he 
was admitted a freeman. In 1636 he re- 
moved to Hartford, Connecticut, and had 
two acres for a home lot. This was lo- 
cated near the famous "Charter Oak." He 
removed to Farmington from Hartford 
about 1644, and was one of the first pro- 
prietors there. He was a prominent man 
in the town, his home being situated on 
the main street. He served as deputy to 
the General Court several times, and was 
a charter member of the church in Farm- 
ington, being a second deacon of the 
church. He lived to be eighty years 
of age, and died November 12, 1688. The 
death of his first wife occurred in Farm- 
ington, and he married (second) Clem- 
ence, widow of Thomas Mason of North- 
ampton, and lived in that town the re- 
mainder of his life. There he was 
selectman in 1682, and held a prominent 
place in the social and political life of the 
town. 

(II) Philip Judd. son of Thomas Judd, 
was born in 1649, an d baptized September 
2nd of that year. He lived in Farming- 
ton until a few years before his death, 
when he removed to Waterbury, Con- 
necticut, where he died in October, 1689. 
His wife was Hannah, daughter of 
Thomas Loomis of Windsor. 

(III) Philip (2) Judd. son of Philip 
(1) and Hannah Judd. was born in 1673, 
and died between 1760 and 1765. With 
his wife, Lydia, he was a member of the 
church in 1760. With his brothers, Philip 
Judd removed to Danbury previous to 
1720, but the records of this town were 
totally destroyed by the British, and for 



192 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



this reason it is very difficult to trace 
members of the family. 

(IV) Samuel Judd, son of Philip and 
Lydia Judd, lived for some years in 
Bethel Society. He married Hannah 
Knapp, and they were the parents of a 
son, Samuel Judd, Jr. They were mem- 
bers of the church in 1760. 

(V) Samuel Judd, Jr., son of Samuel 
and Hannah (Knapp) Judd, was born 
1743-44, and lived for some years in Corn- 
wall, where he is believed to have died. 
He married Lucy Hawley, and they were 
the parents of Benjamin Judd, mentioned 
below. 

(VI) Benjamin Judd, son of Samuel 
and Lucy (Hawley) Judd, was born in 
1769, and married Zilpha Williams, of 
Bethel, June 13, 1790, and she died April 
15, 1819. He died March 6, 1826. Their 
son, Hawley Judd, is next in line. 

(VII) Hawley Judd, son of Benjamin 
and Zilpha (Williams) Judd, was born 
September 13, 1797, married Eleanor Ad- 
ams of Redding, December 31, 1818. He 
removed to Pembroke, New York, and 
from there to Michigan. He was the fa- 
ther of Grant Judd, of further mention. 

(VIII) Grant Judd, son of Hawley 
and Eleanor (Adams) Judd, was born 
June, 29, 1821, in Bethel, Connecticut, 
and in 1843, removed to Stamford, Con- 
necticut, where he spent the remainder 
of his life. He became one of the promi- 
nent men of the place and was identified 
with the early business there. He was 
one of the organizers of the Phoenix Car- 
riage Manufacturing Company of Stam- 
ford, and was associated with this com- 
pany until its dissolution. He was a very 
upright man and of excellent character. 
He died January 3, 1892. He married, 
March 26, 1845, Hannah M. Knapp, born 
June 26, 1827, daughter of Luther and 
Hannah (Selleck) Knapp. 

(IX) William Hawley Judd, son of 

Conn— 8— 13 



Grant and Hannah M. (Knapp) Judd, 
and the subject of this review, was born 
at Stamford, Connecticut, February 10, 
1850, and received his education there 
in private schools. At the age of eighteen 
he entered upon his business career with 
St. John & Hoyt, dealers in lumber. He 
had been pursuing a course in civil en- 
gineering, when he was offered a position 
by Mr. John St. John, to open the books 
for the new company they were going 
to organize. He was also to collect out- 
standing accounts due to the old firm of 
Fox & St. John. That was in 1868, and 
Mr. Judd accepted the position, and has 
been identified with the business to the 
present time (1920). Originally, the 
business occupied a small space on Broad 
street which, in 1873, was removed to its 
present location, and in 1879 Mr. Judd 
became a member of the firm of St. John, 
Hoyt & Company. In 1885, the business 
was divided, the manufacturing branch 
being incorporated under the name of The 
St. John Woodworking Company, of 
which Mr. Judd became secretary and 
treasurer and has continued in that office 
to the present time (1920). When Mr. 
St. John retired in 1888, his interest was 
purchased by Charles H. Getman, of Os- 
wego, New York, and the firm name 
became Hoyt, Getman & Judd. Upon 
the death of Mr. Hoyt, the name of the 
firm was changed to Getman & Judd. In 
April, 1897, Mr. Frank W. Bogardus was 
admitted to the firm, and the name again 
changed to Getman, Judd & Company. 
Mr. Getman died in 1898 and upon the 
settlement of his estate, the business was 
incorporated as The Getman & Judd 
Company, with Mr. Judd as president, 
which office he holds at the present time 
(1920). The business covers about seven 
acres of land, and they ship to all points 
in New England and New York, being 
one of the largest lumber firms in New 



193 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



England. Through all the changes in the 
business Mr. Judd has been the leading 
spirit in the forward progress of the com- 
pany. He has other business interests of 
an exacting nature, but his long associ- 
ation with this concern has given him the 
foremost position there. He is secretary 
and treasurer of the St. John Wood 
Working Company ; secretary, treasurer 
and director of the East Branch Dock 
Corporation ; director of The Stamford 
Trust Company ; vice-president of The 
Stamford Hospital ; director of the Manu- 
facturers' Association of Stamford, and of 
the Woodland Cemetery Association ; di- 
rector of the Stamford Savings Bank, the 
Stamford Morris Plan Company, the 
Pennsylvania Lumber Mutual Fire Insur- 
ance Company, The Lumber Mutual Fire 
Insurance Company of Boston ; delegate 
of the Eastern States Retail Lumber Deal- 
ers' Association and has served as presi- 
dent of the Connecticut Lumber Dealers' 
Association ; is trustee and vice-president 
of the Stamford Children's Home, and a 
director of the King School ; director of 
the Young Men's Christian Association of 
Stamford ; vice-president of The Apart- 
ments Company of Stamford. 

Mr. Judd is a Republican in politics, 
and is deeply interested in civic affairs. 
While a busy man he is ever at the serv- 
ice of the public, but seeks no political 
preferment. He was a burgess of Stam- 
ford under the borough government. He 
is a member of the Church Club of Con- 
necticut, the Suburban Club of Stamford, 
and the Stamford Yacht Club. Through 
his maternal ancestry, he holds member- 
ship in the Sons of the American Revo- 
lution. 

Mr. Judd married, November II, 1873, 
in New York City, Anna Moores, born 
April 3, 185 1, daughter of Charles W. and 
Susan (Mallory) Moores. They are 
members of St. Andrew's Protestant 



Episcopal Church of Stamford, of which 
Mr. Judd has been vestryman and senior 
warden for many years. 

Personally, Mr. Judd is a genial, whole- 
souled gentleman, a man who meets busi- 
ness problems with the full power of a 
keen mind and who goes out to his relax- 
ation with the same zest and spirit. He 
is one of those men who make Stamford 
a city of homes as well as a prosperous 
business center. 



RITCH, Silas Davis, 

Public Official. 

It seems particularly fitting to find a 
representative of one of the early Colonial 
families occupying a position of public 
trust and responsibility. Silas Davis 
Ritch, tax collector of the town of Green- 
wich, Connecticut, is the scion of one of 
the oldest families of Fairfield county. 
Mr. Ritch was born April 11, 1859, i n 
Greenwich, son of William M. and Sarah 
(Hamilton) Ritch, and is a direct de- 
scendant of Henry Ritch. 

(I) As early as 1681 there is record 
found of Henry Ritch, at which time he 
bought land in Sanford, Connecticut, of 
one Caleb Webb. He sold this land in 
1685 and removed to Greenwich, Connec- 
ticut. There on May 19, 1686, he was 
granted three acres of land, and there he 
died about 1710. He married (first) Oc- 
tober 21, 1680, Martha Penoyer, daugh- 
ter of Robert Penoyer. He married (sec- 
ond) . 

(II) Thomas Ritch, son of Henry and 
Martha (Penoyer) Ritch, was born 

about 1682. He married Ruth , 

and they were the parents of John, of 
whom further. 

(III) John Ritch, son of Thomas and 
Ruth Ritch, was born May 4, 1718. He 
married, February 17, 1741, Jemima 



194 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Holmes, and they were the parents of 
James, of whom further. 

(IV) James Ritch, son of John and 
Jemima (Holmes) Ritch, was born June 
8, 1763. He married (first) Mary Ann 
Lock wood, born April 15, 1763, and (sec- 
ond) Mary Whelpley, born October 18, 

1774- 

(V) Ralph Ritch, son of James Ritch, 
was born March 9, 1798, and died De- 
cember 28, 1846. He married, December 
5, 1819, Clemence Mead, born December 
2 5> x 797» died March 27, 1867, daughter 
of Matthew and Mercy (Hobby) Mead. 

(VI) William M. Ritch, son of Ralph 
and Clemence (Mead) Ritch, was born 
June 1, 1820, and died in 1909. He re- 
ceived a common school education, and 
at the age of seventeen years learned the 
trade of carpenter. It was not many 
years after completing his apprenticeship 
that he was able to enter into business 
on his own account, which proves that he 
was possessed of more than the ordinary 
ability. He was a shrewd business man 
and realized the possibilities in the trans- 
portation trade between New York and 
Greenwich. He purchased a schooner, 
called the "Mariner," and engaged in the 
business of carrying stone between New 
York and Greenwich. Not satisfied with 
attaining this business, he sought a higher 
goal and purchased a quarry, eventually 
employing three schooners to carry the 
stone. Mr. Ritch was very successful in 
his business, and was able to retire from 
active duties many years before his death. 
He was one of the leading citizens of his 
community and held in high respect. He 
married Sarah Hamilton, a native of Ire- 
land, and she died August 7, 1888. They 
were the parents of five children : George 
deceased ; Esta ; Willis ; Elizabeth, de- 
ceased ; and Silas Davis, who receives 
extended mention below. Mr. Ritch was 
originally a Democrat, but in 1862 be- 



came a Republican. He served as a mem- 
ber of the Board of Relief and also as 
assessor. For many years he attended the 
Presbyterian church. 

(VII) Silas Davis Ritch, son of Wil- 
liam M. and Sarah (Hamilton) Ritch, was 
born April 11, 1859, * n Greenwich, Con- 
necticut. He was educated in the public 
schools, the Chappaqua school, a Quaker 
boarding school, and at Professor Smith's 
private school in Portchester, New 
York. Mr. Ritch then took up the study 
of medicine under the preceptorship of 
of Dr. Stanton Hall, of Portchester, 
and then matriculated in the New York 
Homoeopathic Medical College. Not find- 
ing the practice of medicine congenial, 
Mr. Ritch was sensible enough to discon- 
tinue it, realizing that to make a success 
in any chosen trade or profession there 
must first be the desire to follow such 
a business. Mr. Ritch accordingly be- 
came associated with his father in the 
stone quarrying business. In 1895, when 
the latter desired to retire from business, 
Silas D. Ritch, in company with his 
brother, Willis Ritch, purchased the busi- 
ness from their father and formed a part- 
nership under the firm name of Ritch 
Brothers. In 1912, they also retired from 
this occupation and sold their interests 
in 1918 to the town of Greenwich and the 
spot will be used for park purposes. In 
politics, Mr. Ritch is a Republican, and 
for ten years ably served as selectman of 
Greenwich, 1900 to 1910. In the latter 
year he was elected tax collector, which 
office he holds at the present time (1920). 
Fraternally, Mr. Ritch is a member of the 
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, 
in Portchester, and of the Woodmen of 
the World, of East Portchester. 

Mr. Ritch married, December 2, 1885, 
Ida F. Mead, born June 12, i860, daugh- 
ter of Lyman and Rebecca Mead, and a 
direct descendant of William Mead, one 



IQS 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



of the early settlers of Fairfield county. 
Their children are : Norman S., born Jan- 
uary 21, 1891, married Lillian Lyon; 
Esther, born June 27, 1894, the wife of 
George S. Noyes. The mother of these 
children died March 13, 1901. 



RITCH, Thomas Gardiner, 

Lawyer, Honored Citiien. 

Not one of Mr. Ritch's surviving fel- 
low-citizens needs to be informed that the 
name which stands at the head of this 
article is that of one who for many years 
was numbered among the leading resi- 
dents of beautiful Stamford. 

His father, Timothy Wells Rossiter 
Ritch, son of Thomas and Rachel (Wal- 
lace) Ritch, was born February 19, 1807, 
in North Salem, Westchester county, New 
York, and attended the North Salem 
Academy. When only fourteen, the boy 
started to earn his living in New York. 
He had only his stage fare, and a Spanish 
dollar on which he cut the words, "My 
mother," and which is still in possession 
of his family. He found a place in the 
wholesale grocery house of Lockwood & 
Foshay. Such a position was different in 
those days from the present time. He 
was required to open the store at six in 
the morning, wait on people all day, close 
the store about ten at night, and then 
sleep in the building. Wages at first were 
board and clothing. A counterfeit bill of 
five dollars, taken in one day, had to be 
made good. He began at once to make a 
study of counterfeit money, and soon be- 
came an expert in detecting it. At twen- 
ty-one, he was received as partner in the 
firm under the name of Lockwood, Ritch 
& Company. The store was at No. 61 
Vesey street, and the house in which he 
lived No. 281 Washington street. In 1831 
he married Sarah Ann Barnum, of North 
Salem. In 1835 his health failed, and he 



moved to Stamford, Connecticut, buying 
the stone house on Main street, once 
owned by George A. Hoyt. His father- 
in-law came to Stamford at the same time, 
building on Atlantic street a house which 
remained in possession of the family until 
1910. 

In 1854 Mr. Ritch represented his town 
in the State Legislature, with John 
Clason, and again in 1861, with I. S. 
Jones. His strong common sense, quick- 
ness of intellect, and practical knowledge, 
made him a valuable member of the com- 
mittees on which he served. In 1855 he 
was elected first selectman and served for 
thirteen years. In 1862 he was elected 
town treasurer, and reelected, except one 
year, until 1877. During the war, he was 
untiring in his efforts to fill the quota of 
soldiers assigned to the town. He visited 
Bridgeport almost daily and secured 
every man who offered at a moderate 
sum, so that the quota would be filled 
or nearly so when an order for a draft 
came, thus saving the town thousands of 
dollars. His quiet foresight and energy 
gave to Stamford a name for loyalty sec- 
ond to none in the State. No face was 
more familiar in the houses of the sol- 
diers' widows and orphans than his. In 
their troubles they came to him and re- 
ceived counsel and aid. When Thanks- 
giving came, year after year, it was the 
old First Selectman of Stamford who 
carried them their Thanksgiving dinners. 

He was an incorporator of the First 
National Bank of Stamford, and a director 
until his death, and for two years its act- 
ing president. He was an incorporator 
of the Citizens' Savings Bank in 1869, 
and its president until death ; also an in- 
corporator and director of the Woodland 
Cemetery Association, and president of 
the Gas Company from 1875 until death. 
As to his church relations, while in New 
York, he and his family attended the old 



196 



J 



+* 



Jm 











t^T^z. 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Brick Church, Presbyterian, of which Dr. 
Gardiner Spring was pastor. Coming to 
Stamford, he was active in the Congrega- 
tional church .until 1853, when the Pres- 
byterian church was organized. He was 
clerk and treasurer from the beginning, 
and a member of the building committee. 
He served as trustee, deacon, and elder, 
being ruling elder at the time of his death. 
He became a teacher in the Sunday school 
the day it was organized and continued 
until his last illness. He died April 25, 
1887. 

The Revolutionary ancestors of Thomas 
Gardiner Ritch were: John (or Lewis) 
and Mary (Hyatt) Ritch, of Norwalk; 
Samuel and Rachel (Morehouse) Wal- 
lace, of North Salem and Ridgefield ; Dr. 
Samuel and Martha (Schofield) Barnum, 
of North Salem ; Ananias and Sally 
(Brown) Weed, of North Stamford, all 
helping to win the war. 

John Ritch was living in Norwalk when 
war broke out. His house was burned by 
the British. He took part in the battle 
on Long Island, was taken prisoner, and 
died in a sugar house in New York. Sam- 
uel Wallace took part in the battle at 
Ridgefield. Dr. Samuel Barnum served 
as volunteer surgeon in the same battle. 
Ananias Weed left his wife and baby in 
their new house, "Sky Meadows," North 
Stamford, and served in Canada through 
the war, being the first man to enter the 
gates of Montreal, and he carried a bullet 
in his breast the remainder of his life. 
His wife, Sally (Brown) Weed, with her 
gun and dog, resisted successfully a raid 
of the cow boys. Thomas Barnum, 
grandfather of Dr. Samuel Barnum, 
served in King Philip's War, and received 
for bravery a grant of land in Norwalk. 

Such were some of the fighting ances- 
tors of Thomas Gardiner Ritch. He was 
born September 18, 1833, m North Salem, 
Westchester county, New York, and was 



prepared for college under the tutorship 
of his uncle, the Rev. Samuel W. Bar- 
num. In 1854 he graduated from Yale Uni- 
versity with the degree of Bachelor of 
Arts, and then entered Yale Law School. 
After graduating he was admitted to the 
bar of New York. For many years Mr. 
Ritch practiced with notable and, without 
exaggeration, splendid success in New 
York, always, however, retaining his resi- 
dence in Stamford. At the time of his 
death he was the oldest commuter be- 
tween Stamford and New York. 

When the clouds of the Civil War 
darkened the sky, and the call to arms 
rang through the length and breadth of 
the land, Mr. Ritch, with the patriotic 
ardor characteristic of his family, offered 
himself for enlistment, but was rejected 
on account of defective vision. This, 
however, while directing his efforts into 
another channel did not in the least di- 
minish their energy, and throughout the 
four years of the conflict he gave to the 
Union cause all the aid and encourage- 
ment which, as a private citizen, he was 
able to render. All his life he was earn- 
est in promoting the welfare of his com- 
munity. He was an active member of the 
First Presbyterian Church and served as 
elder until his death ; also for years as su- 
perintendent of the Sunday school. 

Mr. Ritch married, April 14, 1859, 
Maria E. Pratt, daughter of Hiram and 
Maria (Fowle) Pratt, of Buffalo, New 
York. Mr. Pratt was born June 28, 1800, 
in Westminster, Vermont, whence he re- 
moved to Buffalo. At the age of thirty- 
five he was elected mayor of that city, 
being the third man chosen to fill the 
office. He died in 1840. Mr. and Mrs. 
Ritch were the parents of the following 
children : Mary Rossiter, of Stamford ; 
Alice Maria, died July 13, 1893; Charles 
Gardiner, died in infancy ; Helen Weed, 
of Stamford ; John Woodford, died in in- 



197 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



fancy ; Louise Hopkins, died November 
14, 1894; and Edith Prime, died June 26, 
1892. Mrs. Ritch passed away April 10, 
1897. 

The death of Mr. Ritch, which occurred 
October 16, 1907, deprived the legal pro- 
fession of one of its most honored mem- 
bers and took from Stamford one of her 
most public-spirited citizens. Many 
heart-felt tributes were offered to his 
character and work. Eminent at the bar, 
and honored aand beloved in private life, 
Thomas Gardiner Ritch has left a record 
worthy of preservation and a memory 
which will linger long in the hearts of 
those privileged to know him. 



CARTER, Galen A., 

Attorncy-at-Law. Councilman. 

Among the factors of civic prosperity 
there is one that has nothing to do with 
the carrying on of trade or industrial op- 
erations, yet which is so important that 
without its presence the material ad- 
vancement of the community must prove 
abortive, and which is, as it were, the cor- 
nerstone of the whole arch of wholesome 
civic life. This is the spirit of those pro- 
gressive citizens who hold the interests of 
their community at heart, while having a 
share in its affairs and government — the 
spirit of loyalty to ideals in public and 
professional as well as private life. 
Among the citizens of Stamford who have 
exemplified this spirit in their careers is 
Galen A. Carter, who holds a prominent 
position, junior member of the firm of 
Fessenden & Carter, until the death of Mr. 
Fessenden in 1908, and then senior mem- 
ber of a new firm, still doing business 
under the same firm name, until Novem- 
ber, 1919, when Mr. Carter and Mr. War- 
ren F. Cressy formed a new partnership 
under the firm name of Carter & Cressy, 
which firms for many years have held a 



conspicuous position among the leaders 
of the bar in Connecticut. Mr. Carter 
has stood for all that we associate with 
the highest traditions of the American 
bar, and consistently adhered in his prac- 
tice to the best standards of his profes- 
sion. 

Galen A. Carter is a member of a family 
which has been conspicuous both in old 
and New England, the surname being a 
very ancient one. It appears in the early 
Hundred Rolls and belongs to that great 
class which is derived from occupations, 
the original meaning in this case being 
obvious. In America that branch of the 
family from which Mr. Carter is de- 
scended has resided in New York City for 
several generations, and his grandfather, 
Dr. Galen Carter, a native of Maine, stud- 
ied medicine in Vergennes, Vermont, and 
was a prominent physician in New York 
many years. He was in active prac- 
tice in New York up to the time of his 
death which occurred at his home in the 
year 1870. 

One of his children was the Hon. Galen 
A. Carter, Sr., father of the Mr. Carter 
of this sketch, who was born in New York 
City, June 21, 1832, and passed his child- 
hood and early youth there. As a lad he 
attended educational institutions in that 
city and obtained a splendid education, 
being eventually graduated from the Med- 
ical School in connection with Columbia 
College. After mature consideration, 
however, he decided to follow a business 
career instead of the professional one his 
studies had opened to him, and accord- 
ingly became connected with the New 
York Stock Exchange, and was admitted 
as a partner in the celebrated Wall street 
concern of Jacob Little & Company. Mr. 
Carter was for many years a prominent 
figure on the Stock Exchange until his 
retirement from business in the sixties. 
He was also successfully engaged in a 



198 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



mercantile business for some time. After 
the death of his father, Dr. Carter, in 
1870, Mr. Carter removed to Stamford, 
Connecticut, and there took up his resi- 
dence, remaining there until the close of 
his life. Although he did not engage in 
business after removing to Stamford, Mr. 
Carter was far from spending his time in 
idleness, turning his energies to excellent 
account in the service of his adopted 
community. He took a decidedly active 
part in public affairs, and held many of- 
fices in the gift of the city, among them 
being that of burgess of the borough of 
Stamford. In 1874 he was the successful 
candidate of the Democratic party for the 
office of State Senator from the Fairfield 
county district, and in that office proved 
himself a most capable and disinterested 
public servant. Indeed all his public life 
was marked by a large degree of that pro- 
gressive spirit that has made Stamford a 
city of importance in the commonwealth 
of Connecticut. Mr. Carter was a man of 
strong social instincts, and was a member 
of several organizations of a fraternal and 
social character. He was affiliated with 
the Chi Phi fraternity while yet a stu- 
dent in the Medical School at Columbia 
University, and in Stamford was one of 
the most prominent and influential mem- 
bers of the Suburban Club. 

Mr. Carter married, November 9, 1853, 
Mary C. Davenport, born November 9, 
1836, and died August 11, 1891, a daugh- 
ter of Theodore and Harriet (Chesbor- 
ough) Davenport, old and highly re- 
spected residents of Stamford, and a 
member of a prominent Connecticut fam- 
ily. Mr. and Mrs. Carter were the parents 
of the following children: 1. Edward B. 
L., born December 13, 1855; educated at 
St. John's Episcopal School, Stamford, 
and then served as a deputy clerk in the 
office of the State treasurer in Hartford 
for four years, under James D. Smith, of 



Stamford ; he then took up the business 
of accounting, at a time when trained ac- 
countants were comparatively few, and 
became an expert in his line ; he did 
a considerable business in auditing and 
other accounting work for banks and 
other large corporations ; a Republican in 
politics, he took a great interest in pub- 
lic affairs ; he was a man of strong re- 
ligious beliefs, and was for many years a 
member of St. Andrew's Episcopal. 
Church, of Stamford, supporting liberally 
the work of the parish and serving the 
church in the office of vestryman and war- 
den ; he married Anna S. Sanford, of 
Stamford, by whom he had two children, 
one of whom, Edna S. Carter, survives; 
his death occurred December 13, 1918. 2. 
Galen A., with whose career we are 
here especially concerned. 3. Theodora, 
who became the wife of Daniel F. Treacy, 
of the firm of Davenport & Treacy, of 
Stamford, manufacturers of pianofortes. 
Galen A. Carter, son of Galen A., Sr., 
and Mary C. (Davenport) Carter, was 
born November 23, 1857, in New York 
City, and passed the first twelve years of 
his life in that city. When he was twelve 
years old, his parents came to Stamford 
to live and since that time his life has 
been associated with this flourishing com- 
munity. For some time he attended St. 
John's Episcopal School, but later re- 
turned temporarily 'to New York for a 
course in Packard's Business College and 
was graduated from the latter institution 
with the class of 1875. He was a young 
man of strong intellectual tastes, and to 
his temperament a legal career made a 
strong appeal. Accordingly, on January 
1, 1876, he entered the law office of Fer- 
ris & Fessenden as a student and there 
pursued his chosen subject to such good 
purpose that he was admitted to the bar 
of Connecticut in Bridgeport, 1880. For 
seven years he practiced law with the 



199 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



firm of Ferris & Fessenden, and then, in 
1887, after the death of Mr. Ferris, he 
formed a legal partnership with his old 
chief, Samuel Fessenden, and the firm of 
Fessenden & Carter was formed. In 1895 
Homer S. Cummings was admitted into 
the firm and the name became Fessenden, 
Carter & Cummings. Five years later, 
however, Mr. Cummings withdrew and 
the old name was resumed. The death of 
Mr. Fessenden in 1908 caused a reorgan- 
ization of the old concern, and the present 
partners formed a new firm under the 
style of Fessenden & Carter, which was 
retained up to November, 1919. This 
concern has been for more than a gen- 
eration one of the leading law firms of 
Fairfield county, and much of the most 
important litigation of the region has 
passed through its office. In addition to 
his private practice, Mr. Carter has served 
the community in a number of legal ca- 
pacities and brought to that service his 
great powers and professional knowledge. 
In the year 1883, when the City Court of 
Stamford was organized, he was ap- 
pointed assistant prosecuting attorney, 
and two years later became prosecuting 
attorney. In the year intervening, 1884, 
he was also appointed assistant State at- 
torney, holding the double office until 
1913, when he resigned the former, and 
has since continued in the latter capacity. 
During this period Mr. Carter has enjoyed 
a great and growing reputation, and now 
occupies a conspicuous place among the 
leaders of the Connecticut bar. His abil- 
ity and high sense of professional ethics 
are acknowledged by all, not only among 
his colleagues of the bar but by the com- 
munity-at-large. He is a man of strong 
character and magnetic personality, 
whom it is a pleasure to know, keen-eyed 
and firm-lipped, a man of power and en- 
ergy, and withal one who appreciates the 
wholesomeness of the outdoor world and 



makes it a large part of his interest in 
life. He is, like his father, possessed of 
strong social instincts and feelings, and 
is a member of Union Lodge, No. 5, An- 
cient Free and Accepted Masons, of 
Stamford ; the Suburban Club, of Stam- 
ford ; the Stamford Yacht Club ; the East 
Side Rod and Gun Club ; and the Benevo- 
lent and Protective Order of Elks. He is 
keenly interested in matters of art, es- 
pecially in connection with encouraging 
dramatic art of the highest type, and is 
a director of the Stamford Theatre. 

Galen A. Carter was united in marriage, 
April 12, 1888, with Anna G. Smith, a 
daughter of William D. and Esther M. 
(Smith) Smith of Stamford. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Carter one child has been born, Ken- 
neth W. Carter, born January 23, 1889. 
Kenneth W. Carter was educated at a 
private schol in Stamford, and upon com- 
pleting his studies there entered the em- 
ploy of J. D. Smith & Company, a 
brokerage firm of New York City; later 
he became an electrician in the employ of 
the Fire Department of Stamford ; at the 
time of the entrance of the United States 
into the great European conflict, he en- 
listed in the National army and was sent 
with the 90th Division, American Expe- 
ditionary Forces, to France ; he was in 
Germany with the United States forces of 
occupation, detailed to that country until 
June, 1919, and has since returned and is 
now engaged in banking. 

Galen A. Carter has been noted espe- 
cially throughout the State for the care- 
ful manner in which it is his custom 
to draw complaints in criminal actions. 
He is also exceedingly careful in prepar- 
ing his civil pleadings. None of the minor 
details, which are so often overlooked, 
escape his attention in the preparation of 
a case. In court, his ability to group the 
points in a case in a telling manner is 
striking, but he never indulges in flowery 



200 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



rhetoric, confining himself strictly to the 
points at issue and pressing these in such 
a logical and forceful manner as to carry 
conviction that his conclusions are cor- 
rect. One unique characteristic of his 
policy is that he uniformly refuses to dis- 
cuss his cases with the newspapers. 

Mr. Carter has always been active in 
political work, but with no thought of pre- 
ferment for himself, although he was a 
member of the Common Council of the 
city of Stamford for two terms. His in- 
terest is that of a public-spirited citizen 
who considers it the duty of every man 
to take an active part in governmental af- 
fairs within the compass of his abilities. 
He has ever been a staunch Democrat, 
and in 1896, when the party became di- 
vided over the so called "Free Silver" 
issue, Mr. Carter exerted himself to the 
utmost to hold it together at least on 
local issues, leaving its members free to 
follow their convictions regarding the 
question of the free coinage of silver. Mr. 
Carter is esteemed by his fellow-citizens 
as a man of broad views and sympathies, 
who has always been ready to aid every 
improvement that promises to enhance 
the public welfare. 



SMITH, William Deming, 

Merchant, Useful Citizen. 

Among the most useful men in the early 
colonies were the Smiths, who made all 
the nails used in the construction of 
buildings and nearly every implement of 
every sort employed in the rude life of 
the pioneers. A century previous, the 
country people in England had taken 
surnames, and it fell out that many who 
were smiths by occupation took the word 
for a patronymic, and in this manner the 
name of Smith has been derived. In 1662 
there were three brothers bearing this 
name who came to New England. One of 



these settled in New London, one in 
Windsor, and the third, Simon Smith, set- 
tled in Haddam, Connecticut. It is from 
the latter immigrant that most of the 
Middlesex county families are descended. 

Jeremiah G. Smith, grandfather of Mrs. 
Anna G. (Smith) Carter, was a native of 
Chatham, Connecticut, and was a cele- 
brated sea captain of the early days, as 
many of his ancestors had been. He 
crossed the ocean several times; in 1851 
he came to Stamford, Connecticut, where 
he died. He married Annah G. Hurd, of 
Chatham. 

William D. Smith, son of Jeremiah G. 
and Annah G. (Hurd) Smith, was born 
in Chatham, Connecticut, February 17, 
1837. He attended the public schools of 
Middle Haddam and Stamford. In his 
youth he felt the inherited desire for a 
seafaring life, and at the time he was six- 
teen years of age he had already crossed 
the ocean. For thirteen years he contin- 
ued to follow the sea and rose to be cap- 
tain of a boat in 1865. In the latter year 
he came to Stamford, Connecticut, and 
purchased the business of Hoyt & Pond, 
a coal and wood yard at Waterside. He 
continued in this business until 1900, in 
which year he disposed of his business in- 
terests intending to retire from active 
cares. But Mr. Smith was not the type 
of man who could be happy in idleness, 
and a few years later he was elected 
president of the Citizens' Savings Bank, 
of Stamford, an institution of which he 
had long been a director. In this office 
his business experience and good judg- 
ment proved of great value ; he also 
served as a director of the First National 
Bank, of Stamford, and of the Woodland 
Cemetery Association. 

Mr. Smith was a Democrat in politics, 
and served for several years as a member 
of the Board of Burgesses of the borough, 
and also served several terms as coun- 



201 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



cilman in the early days of the city gov- 
ernment. On one occasion Mr. Smith was 
nominated without his consent, and al- 
though he had announced that he would 
refuse to be a candidate his name was re- 
tained upon the ticket and he was elected 
to office. He refused to accept the office, 
however, being a man of his word. He 
refused numerous requests to become a 
candidate of his party for the Legislature 
and other offices. He preferred to do his 
share in the role of a private citizen, and 
was ever willing to aid in any welfare 
movement for the benefit of the public. 
"It was said he never made an enemy but 
all who knew him were his friends. He 
was kind hearted and generous, always 
courteous in his business relations." Mr. 
Smith was remarkably well informed on 
all the current topics of the day, and in 
spite of his advanced years at the time of 
his death he was in possession of all his 
faculties. Quiet and unostentatious in 
his manner, he was domestic in his tastes 
and was happiest when surrounded by his 
family at his own fireside. His charities 
were many, and they were given in such 
a quiet, plain way that few, except those 
who benefited directly, knew of his good- 
ness. 

Mr. Smith married Esther M. Smith, 
and they were the parents of two daugh- 
ters : Susan W., deceased ; and Anna G., 
wife of Hon. Galen A. Carter, of Stam- 
ford, Connecticut. 



BARTRAM, Fioyd Bell, 

Lawyer, Public Official. 

The Bartram patronymic is of ancient 
English origin, and is traced to the reign 
of King Henry I. It is derived from the 
baptismal name of Bertram. There was 
a William Bartram who founded the pri- 
ory of Brinkburne, in Northumberland 
county, England. The Bartram family, 



of which Floyd B. Bartram is a scion, 
descends from John Bartram. 

(I) John Bartram came from England 
and settled in the Massachusetts Bay Col- 
ony, thence removing to Stratford, in 
1668. He died in Stratford, in 1676. He 
had a son. John (2), of whom further. 

(II) John (2) Bartram, son of John (1) 
Bartram, was born about 1665, and lived 
in Stratford. Early in life he removed 
to Fairfield, Connecticut, and was made a 
freeman there, March 18, 1690. He mar- 
ried Sarah Gray, daughter of Jacob Gray, 
and their son, David, is mentioned below. 

(III) David Bartram, son of John (2) 
and Sarah (Gray) Bartram, was born De- 
cember 13, 1702. He was the pioneer of 
the family in Redding, Connecticut, where 
he lived as early as 1733. He was a 
farmer and a surveyor, and lived in that 
part of Redding which was called Lone- 
town. The Christian name of his wife 
was Mehitable, and their son, James, is of 
further mention. 

(IV) James Bartram, son of David and 
Mehitable Bartram, was born April 23, 
1738. He lived in Redding, and served in 
the Revolutionary War. His wife was 
Hannah Morehouse, and they were the 
parents of twenty-one children, ten of 
whom grew to maturity, among them, 
Aaron, of whom further. 

(V) Aaron Bartram, son of James and 
Hannah (Morehouse) Bartram, was born 
about 1784, in Redding, where he lived 
during his lifetime, and followed the oc- 
cupation of shoemaker. He had a son, 
Aaron (2), of whom further. 

(VI) Aaron (2) Bartram, son of Aaron 
(1) Bartram, was a shoemaker, as was his 
father. He was born June 28, 1827, in 
Redding, and died in i860. Aaron (2) 
Bartram is buried at Zion Hill Cemetery, 
Wilton, Connecticut. On May 28. 1851, 
he married Delia A. Gregory, daughter of 
Elijah and Orpha (Godfrey) Gregory, of 



202 




lie American Historical Society 



Fna by£G Williams & Bra NY 




} &L/b<L>t~'CZ^fr%4.- 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Weston. Mrs. Bartram was born June 
16, 1827. They had a son, Elijah, of 
whom further. 

(VII) Elijah Gregory Bartram, son of 
Aaron (2) and Delia A. (Gregory) Bar- 
tram, was born in Redding, May 23, 1855. 
The public schools afforded him his edu- 
cation, and after the death of his father 
he came to New Canaan, where he went 
to work in a saw mill. Mr. Bartram was 
connected with this industry during the 
rest of his lifetime, being superintendent 
for many years. About 191 5 he retired 
from active business, and built his present 
home in the Tallmadge Hill section. He 
married Sarah A. Bell, born September 
26, 1859, daughter of Harmon and Mary 
Amelia (Scofield) Bell. Mr. and Mrs. 
Bartram were the parents of three chil- 
dren: Clayton Gregory, of Southport; 
Floyd Bell, of further mention ; and Stan- 
ley Bronson, of New Canaan. The fam- 
ily are attendants of the Congregational 
church. 

(VIII) Floyd Bell Bartram, second 
child of Elijah G. and Sarah A. (Bell) 
Bartram, was born in Darien, Connecti- 
cut, September 3, 1882. He attended the 
Tallmadge Hill School, and the schools 
of New Canaan, and for two years was a 
student in Moody's school, at Mount Her- 
mon, Massachusetts, working to meet the 
expense of his tuition in this institution. 
After two years of special work in Col- 
gate University, where he worked to pay 
his own way, he studied law in the New 
York Law School, whence he was gradu- 
ated with the degree of LL. B., in June, 
1908. Admitted to the bar in July, 1909, 
he was for a year associated with Judge 
Martin J. Gray, of Stamford, Judge Gray's 
death ending this relation. Mr. Bartram 
then formed a partnership with Benja- 
min H. Mead, under the firm name of 
Bartram & Mead, and so has continued to 



the present time in the general practice 
of law. Stanley Mead was admitted to 
the firm in 1917. They have many cor- 
porations and prominent citizens of Stam- 
ford and its vicinity among their clients, 
and the firm has assumed a place among 
the best known legal firms of the district. 
Mr. Bartram is a director and the secre- 
tary of the Title Insurance and Mortgage 
Company, of Stamford and Greenwich, 
and a director of numerous other corpor- 
ations for which his firm is counsel. 

He is a Democrat in political faith, and 
in 1918 and 1920 was the candidate of his 
party for the office of mayor of Stamford. 
In the latter year, when a Republican 
•landslide carried even Democratic strong- 
holds, Mr. Bartram ran about twenty-five 
hundred votes ahead of his ticket. He 
has always been active in public affairs, 
and in Stamford is known as the cham- 
pion of clean, progressive government, 
respected for his able defence of his con- 
victions. Since October, 1919, he has 
been president of the Stamford Chamber 
of Commerce, Inc., and during his term 
of office the membership has increased 
from about one hundred seventy-five to 
over five hundred members. 

Mr. Bartram is a member of the New 
Canaan Congregational Church. He fra- 
ternizes with the Masonic order, being a 
member of Union Lodge, No. 5, Free and 
Accepted Masons ; and with the Benevo- 
lent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge 
No. 899; and is a member of the Subur- 
ban Club. He is a lover of outdoor sports, 
especially fishing and golf. 

Floyd B. Bartram was married March 
J 7» I 9 I 3> to Frieda Hohnstrater, daugh- 
ter of William and Meta (Schaar) Hohn- 
strater, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, and 
they are the parents of one son, William, 
born August 24, 1914. 
203 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



BELL, Clarence Winthrop, 

Banker, Man of Affairs. 

The Bell family have long been honor- 
ably represented in the annals of Fair- 
field county, and particularly in the city 
of Stamford. In the professions and in 
the public service, members of this family 
are found in foremost places. Each gen- 
eration has succeeded in establishing a 
record that is an inspiration to the com- 
ing generations. Since 1641, in which 
year Francis Bell, the immigrant ances- 
tor, settled in Stamford, there has been a 
Bell in a representative position in the 
public life of the city. Francis Bell was 
the first representative from Stamford to 
the General Assembly, and his descend- 
ant, Thaddeus Bell, held a like honor as 
first representative to the Legislature 
from the town of Darien. His grand- 
father, Thaddeus Bell, was representative 
from Stamford also. The Bell family is 
now ably represented by Clarence W. 
Bell, banker, of Stamford, who was born 
June 5, 1869, in Darien, son of Thaddeus 
(3) and Caroline E. (Morehouse) Bell. 

(I) Francis Bell, the immigrant, a na- 
tive of Yorkshire, England, came with Sir 
Richard Saltonstall, to Massachusetts in 
1630. He located in Stamford in 1641, 
being one of the original twenty-nine pro- 
prietors. Stamford was purchased from 
the New Haven Colony, and was first 
called by the Indian name, Rippowam. 
Francis Bell received a grant of seven 
acres, and was prominent in affairs from 
the outset. He was representative, Oc- 
tober 27, 1641, the first to serve in the 
community, and was lieutenant of the 
Militia Company. In 1644 he was chosen 
to go to Boston to bring back a minister, 
in which mission he was successful, and 
in 1670 was in charge of building the new 
meeting house. He was selectman from 



1666 to 1671, and died January 8, 1679. 
His wife, Rebecca, died May 17, 1684. 

(II) Jonathan Bell, son of Francis and 
Rebecca Bell, was born in September, 
1641, and was the first white child born 
in Stamford. He served as selectman for 
fourteen years, and was representative 
to the General Court for twenty-six years. 
In 1672 he was commissioned lieutenant 
of the Militia Company, and captain in 
1698. He died March II, 1698-99. He 
married (first) August 22, 1662, Mercy 
Crane, daughter of Jasper Crane, and she 
died October 26, 1671. They were the 
parents of Jonathan (2), of further men- 
tion. 

(III) Jonathan (2) Bell, son of Jona 
than (1) and Mercy (Crane) Bell, was 
born in the year 1663. He was town 
clerk from 1689 to io 99J lieutenant of the 
Militia Company in 1692, and representa- 
tive from 1712-1719. He married (first) 
March 22, 1693, Grace Ketchell, who died 
the same year. 

(IV) Jonathan (3) Bell, son of Jona- 
than (2) and Grace (Ketchell) Bell, was 
born December 15, 1693, and served nine 
years as selectman. He was ensign and 
active in church matters. He was one of 
the number forming the Middlesex Soci- 
ety, and sang in the choir. He married, 
January 24, 1716, Eunice Reed, daughter 
of Thomas and Mary (Olmstead) Reed, 
of Norwalk, and they were the parents of 
Thaddeus, of further mention. 

(V) Thaddeus Bell, son of Jonathan 
(3) and Eunice (Reed) Bell, was born 
March 31, 1728, and was a resident of Ox 
Ridge. He was a farmer, and served in 
1775 on a committee of safety, and in 
1777 on a committee to care for the fam- 
ilies of soldiers who were in service. On 
December 14, 1753, he married Mary 
Leeds, daughter of Cary and Martha 
(Holly) Leeds. 



204 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



(VI) Thaddeus (2) Bell, son of Thad- 
deus (1) and Mary (Leeds) Bell, was 
born March 18, 1759, an d died October 
31, 1851. He served in the Revolution- 
ary War, with the rank of orderly ser- 
geant, and was taken prisoner at New 
York. After his exchange he enlisted a 
second time. He was representative to 
the Legislature in 1805 and served for 
sixteen consecutive years. He was one of 
the committee to set off the eastern part 
of Stamford, and the rest of the commit- 
tee wished to name it Bellville, but Mr. 
Bell declined the honor. "He was on 
his way back to the capital when he met 
a friend who had just returned from a 
visit to the Isthmus of Darien, and this 
gave him the idea which resulted in the 
town being named Darien." The follow- 
ing year Mr. Bell represented Darien in 
the Legislature. He married, May 4, 
1780, Elizabeth How, daughter of James 
and Sarah (Waring) How, and they were 
the parents of Holly, of further mention. 

(VII) Holly Bell, son of Thaddeus (2) 
and Elizabeth (How) Bell, was born in 
Darien, where he died, in 1887. He served 
as representative for five terms in the 
Legislature, and was station agent at 
Darien for a number of years. Previous 
to the building of the railroad, Holly Bell 
ran a sloop to New York City. He mar- 
ried Abigail Scofield, and they were the 
parents of Thaddeus (3) Bell, of further 
mention. 

(VIII) Thaddeus (3) Bell, son of Holly 
and Abigail (Scofield) Bell, was born 
January 20, 183 1, in Darien, and died in 
1909. He received his education in the 
district schools, and his early life was 
identified with the ship-building industry. 
During the Civil War he was commis- 
sioned as acting paymaster on a United 
States monitor, and after the war re- 
sumed his ship-building business in Nor- 
walk. For many years he was town 



treasurer, and also served as town clerk 
until shortly before his death. Among 
other public offices which he held were 
selectman, and representative in the Leg- 
islature. Mr. Bell was one of the leading 
men of Darien and of Fairfield county. 
The success which he achieved was not 
an accident, but the result of constant 
achievement and application of effort. 

Mr. Bell married, in 1854, Caroline E. 
Morehouse, born January 5, 1833, daugh- 
ter of H. and Lydia (Mather) Morehouse, 
a descendant of Rev. Dr. Moses and Rev. 
Richard Mather, and of the immigrant, 
John Mather. Mr. and Mrs. Bell were 
the parents of the following children: 
Grace L. ; Alfred B., who resides in Den- 
ver, Colorado ; and Clarence W., of fur- 
ther mention. The family were members 
of the Congregational church, which Mr. 
Bell served as treasurer. 

(IX) Clarence W. Bell, son of Thad- 
deus (3) and Caroline E. (Morehouse) 
Bell, attended the schools of Darien and 
the Norwalk High School. Subsequent 
to his graduation, he entered the employ 
of the First National Bank of Stamford 
as messenger. The worthy qualities of 
his forebears seemed to have been im- 
bibed in his character, and he steadily 
progressed upward through the various 
positions until he held the position of 
vice-president and cashier, and was also 
a member of the board of directors. He 
continues in this office, and in July, 1919, 
was active in effecting the consolidation 
of the Stamford National Bank with the 
First National Bank, under the title of 
the First-Stamford National Bank. He 
is also a director of the Home Bank and 
Trust Company, of Darien ; director and 
treasurer of the Western Connecticut 
Title and Trust Company, of Stamford ; 
was president of the Stollwerck Choco- 
late Company, of Stamford, during the 
World War, when the company was un- 



205 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



der the control of the alien property cus- spelled Chamberlin, Chamberlayne, Cham- 



todian. 

Mr. Bell has been chairman of the 
Board of Finance of the town of Darien 
for ten years. It seems very just and 
fitting that a member of this old and dis- 
tinguished family, whose antecedents 
were leaders in the growth of the com- 
munity, should occupy these positions of 
trust and responsibility in this generation. 
The fraternal orders of Mr. Bell are : 
Union Lodge, No. 5, Free and Accepted 
Masons ; Suburban Club ; Woodway 
Country Club ; and Wee Burn Golf Club, 
of Stamford. 

Mr. Bell married, June 6, 1900, Louise 
Austen, daughter of Theodore W. Austen, 
of Darien, and they are the parents of a 
son, Roger Winthrop Bell, born January 
20, 1905. The family attend the Congre- 
gational church at Darien. 



CHAMBERLAIN, Robert Linton, 

Real Estate Promoter, Banker. 

In the banking circles of Greenwich, 
Mr. Chamberlain, as president of the 
Putnam Trust Company, occupies a fore- 
most place, and as president of the Green- 
wich Real Estate Company he has been 
a factor of importance in the develop- 
ment of one of the city's leading inter- 
ests. In the fraternal and social circles 
of his home community he has long been 
a figure of prominence. 

The Chamberlain family derives de- 
scent from Count de Tankerville, of 
Tankerville Castle, Normandy, who ac- 
companied William the Conqueror to 
England. John, son of Count de Tanker- 
ville, was Lord Chamberlain to Henry 
the First of England. Richard, son of 
John, filled the same place under King 
Stephen, and the word descriptive of his 
office became the family name. That 
name has been and still is variously 



berlaine and Chamberlain. The escutch- 
eon of the family is as follows : 

Arms — First and Fourth: Gules, an escutcheon 
argent, in an orle of eight mullets or. Second and 
Third : Gules, a chevron between three escallops 
or. 

Crest — An ass's head out of a ducal coronet. 

Mottoes — Mors potior stat macula. Prodesse 
quavt conspice. Virtute nihil murium. 

Early in the seventeenth century a 
branch of the family was transplanted 
to Massachusetts by Richard Chamber- 
lin, others of the name and their descend- 
ants finding homes in other colonies. 
Representatives of the family have long 
been resident in Pennsylvania. 

Robert Linton Chamberlain was born 
September 15, 1871, in Cleveland, Ohio, 
and is a son of Robert Linton, Sr., and 
Ellen Steele (Perkins) Chamberlain, the 
former a native of Allentown, Pennsyl- 
vania. Robert Linton Chamberlain, Jr., 
was educated at the Knapp School in 
Plymouth, Massachusetts, up to a certain 
point, going then to Santa Barbara, Cal- 
ifornia, where he attended the Belmont 
School. He then returned to the East 
and for a time lived in Mamaroneck, New 
York. 

About twenty years ago Mr. Chamber- 
lain became a resident of Greenwich, 
Connecticut, establishing himself there in 
the real estate business. He was very 
successful, developing what is now known 
as the Putnam Terrace property, having 
previously organized the Greenwich Real 
Estate Company, of which he became 
president. This concern developed not 
only the Putnam Terrace property, but 
also several other important tracts. In 
1914 Mr. Chamberlain enlarged his field 
of action by identifying himself with the 
banking interests of Greenwich. In as- 
sociation with others he organized the 
Putnam Trust Company, an enterprise 



206 










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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



which prospered from the start. In 1916 1892, Rose I. Brady, daughter of John F. 



Mr. Chamberlain succeeded to his pres- 
ent office of president of the institution, 
which from the beginning has been 
largely indebted to him for its steadily 
increasing prosperity. 

The other interests of Mr. Chamberlain 
are numerous. He is secretary of the 
Greenwich Highway Commission and the 
Putnam Cemetery Association, and vice- 
president of the Young Men's Christian 
Association, and trustee of the Diamond 
Hill Methodist Episcopal Church. He is 
treasurer of the Greenwich Chamber of 
Commerce, a trustee of the Young Wo- 
men's Christian Association of Green- 
wich, and one of the directors of the 
Greenwich Social Service Society. In all 
matters of public interest, Mr. Chamber- 
lain has had the part of a public-spirited, 
progressive citizen. Especially was this 
apparent during the World War, when in 
addition to his support of the work of 
all the relief and social organizations he 
served on the Greenwich War Bureau, as 
chairman of the Citizens' Committee of 
Greenwich, and as chairman of the in- 
struction committee of the local draft 
board. To the exacting duties of these 
positions he gave largely of his time and 
effort. 

In fraternal circles, Mr. Chamberlain 
is extremely active. He affiliates with 
Acacia Lodge, No. 85, Free and Accepted 
Masons ; and is a charter member of Ar- 
mour Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of 
Port Chester, New York. He also holds 
membership in Bethlehem Commandery, 
Knights Templar, of Mount Vernon, New 
York; Lafayette Council, of Bridgeport; 
Mecca Temple, Mystic Shrine, New York 
City ; and the Indian Harbor Yacht Club, 
of Greenwich. His other clubs are the 
Sound Beach Golf, the Riverside Field 
and Marine, and the Coscob Tennis. 

Mr. Chamberlain married, in August, 



and Ann Brady, of Mamaroneck, New 
York, and they are the parents of one son, 
Robert Linton (3), born September 21, 
1893, and now a student in Storr's Agri- 
cultural College. Robert Linton (3) 
Chamberlain served seventeen months in 
the United States army during the World 
War, enlisting in Squadron A, which was 
a part of the 27th Division. Nine months 
of his enlistment were spent in the Amer- 
ican Expeditionary Forces, and he saw a 
large share of the stirring action of this 
noted division. 

To the honorable title of a useful cit- 
izen, Mr. Chamberlain has an indisput- 
able claim, for he has been largely in- 
strumental in the upbuilding of a num- 
ber of the most essential interests of his 
home community. 



SHERRILL, George, 

Physician, Hospital Official. 

Dr. George Sherrill has for many years 
been prominently identified with the med- 
ical profession in Stamford. He was 
born July 28, 1867, in Delhi, Delaware 
county, New York, son of George (1) 
and Kate E. (Telford) Sherrill. 

The name of Sherrill is one of the old 
Saxon names in England, antedating the 
Norman Conquest (1066). Like most 
ancient names it was spelled in various 
ways, Sherwill, Sherry and Sherill. Ac- 
cording to Harrison, an authority on the 
derivation of surnames, it signified "a 
dweller by the clear spring." It is formed 
of the word "scir," meaning clear or pure, 
and Will, originally "willya," meaning 
spring or a small body of water. It 
therefore belongs to the class of names 
derived from location. The family is an 
old one in Devonshire, and was prominent 
there. Thomas Sherwill was mayor of 
Plymouth in 1617-18, and in 1627-28, and 



207 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



in the latter year also represented the city 
in Parliament. He died during his term 
and was succeeded as mayor by his 
brother, Nicholas. 

(I) Samuel Sherrill, immigrant an- 
cestor of the family in America, was born 
in Ireland, about 1649, his parents with 
other Devonshire families having emi- 
grated there. Most of the immigrants, 
the Sherrills among the number, not find- 
ing the new country satisfactory, returned 
to England. According to an old family 
tradition : "A vessel was cast away on 
the shore at Easthampton, Long Island, 
and a company of girls, among others, 
visited the wreck. One of the ladies said 
on returning that she had seen the hand- 
somest man she ever saw. This was in- 
timated to the shipwrecked mariner and 
resulted in an acquaintance and marriage 
of the parties." Samuel Sherrill is the 
only one of that name mentioned in the 
Easthampton records for 1683-1698. 
When he came to the town is not known, 
but it is the opinion of Charles H. Sher- 
rill, Jr., the family genealogist, that he 
arrived in Easthampton between 1670 
and 1678. On the tax list for 1683 his 
property is assessed for £102 6s and 8d. 
Three years later he was one of nine who 
petitioned the governor to compel the 
town to set out land to them. It seems 
that the freeholders of the town were un- 
willing at that time to admit any more 
proprietors. 

(II) Recompence Sherrill, son of Sam- 
uel Sherrill, was born about 1678, in East- 
hampton, and married, October 1, 1713, 
for his second wife, Margaret Cady. He 
was a prominent citizen of the town, and 
was a member of Captain Matthias Bur- 
nett's company of the town militia in 
1715. On April 5, 1719, he joined the 
church. 

(III) Jacob Sherrill, son of Recom- 
pence and Margaret (Cady) Sherrill, was 



born in 1722, and died in July, 1801. He 
married for his second wife, Clemens 
Huntting, born February 8, 1738, died 
August 8, 1820, daughter of Deacon John 
and Clemens Huntting. The name of 
Jacob Sherrill appears on the list of As- 
sociates of Easthampton, dated May 5, 

1775- 

(IV) Jonathan Sherrill, son of Jacob 
Sherrill, was born in Easthampton, in 
October, 1769, and died in Greenville, 
New York, April 14, 1851, where he had 
resided for almost fifty years. He mar- 
ried, in 1795, Lavinia Reed, who was born 
August 5, 1775, and died January 11, 1845. 

(V) Lewis Sherrill, son of Jonathan 
and Lavinia (Reed) Sherrill, was born 
July 24, 1801, in Easthampton, and died 
March 9, 1889. He married Esther Ford, 
born March 21, 1801, died January 19, 
1872. 

(VI) George Sherrill, son of Lewis and 
Esther (Ford) Sherrill, was born Febru- 
ary 2, 1830, and was educated in the pub- 
lic schools. He went to New York City 
to work, and by his energy and ambition, 
combined with his excellent business 
judgment, he forged his way ahead until 
he became a member of the firm operat- 
ing the Knickerbocker Mills. Mr. Sher- 
rill remained identified with this enter- 
prise in an executive manner until his 
death. He married, February 17, 1861, 
Kate E. Telford, born March 6, 1836, died 
in 1910; he died in February, 1903. Mr. 
and Mrs. Sherrill were the parents of the 
following children : Etta, born April 6, 
1862, deceased ; Lizzie, born October 30, 
1864, deceased; George, of further men- 
tion ; Nelson, born June 23, 1872, now a 
resident of Orange, New Jersey. 

(VII) George (2) Sherrill, son of 
George (1) and Kate E. (Telford) Sher- 
rill, attended the schools of Jersey City 
and the Hasbrouck Institute, matriculat- 
ing at Williams College, graduating in 



208 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



1888. He then pursued a course at the 
Columbia University Medical School, fin- 
ishing in 1891. For the subsequent two 
years Dr. Sherrill was an interne in the 
New York Hospital, and in 1894 removed 
to Stamford, Connecticut, and there en- 
gaged in practice. For just a quarter of a 
century Dr. Sherrill has been located in 
that city, and for twenty years he has 
served as medical examiner of the city. 

Dr. Sherrill is a member of the staff of 
the Stamford Hospital, and also of the 
Stamford Children's Home. He is a mem- 
ber of the Stamford Medical Society ; the 
Fairfield County Medical Society ; and the 
Connecticut State Medical Society. His 
clubs are : The Suburban Club ; the 
Woodway Country Club, and the Stam- 
ford Yacht Club. ' 

Dr. Sherrill married, November 5, 1896, 
Elvy Perkins, daughter of Henry Per- 
kins, of Stamford, and their children are : 
Catherine, born March 12, 1899; George, 
Jr., born September 26, 1902; Russell, 
born January 26, 1908. 



SPRINGER, William A., 

Musical Composer, Soldier. 

By the musical world the appearance 
of Mr. Springer's name will be greeted 
with the reverence and admiration which 
for a third of a century have been recog- 
nized as his just tribute. By the friends 
and neighbors of his home community 
they will be rendered with personal pride 
in their distinguished fellow-citizen min- 
gled with feelings of sincere regard and 
cordial good will. 

The race of the Springers is one of the 
most ancient in Germany, tracing its de- 
scent from Charlemagne, Emperor of the 
West, and thus carrying its line back 
through thirteen centuries to the remoter 
regions of history. 

Louis the First, Count of Thuringia, 

Conn— 8— 14 209 



was a descendant of Charlemagne and a 
relative of Conrad the Second, Emperor 
of Germany. 

Louis the Second, son of Louis the 
First, was born in 1042, and was Count of 
Thuringia and builder of the famous 
castle of the Wartburg. He was a mili- 
tary officer of the emperor, Henry the 
Fourth, and on a false charge was wrong- 
fully imprisoned in the old castle of 
Giebeckenstein, near Halle, one hundred 
feet above the river Saale. In 1089, after 
two years of close confinement, he made 
his escape by springing from the lofty 
battlements of the castle into the river. 
Coming from the water apparently un- 
hurt, he was taken before the emperor 
who, surprised at his courage, pardoned 
him and gave him the surname of the 
Springer. From this fact is derived the 
family name. His descendants are found 
in almost every country of Europe and in 
almost every State of the American 
Union. 

The escutcheon of the Springers is as 
follows: 

Arms — To the first and fourth, sable, a stag 
springing forward, countee passant, or, sustained 
by a hill, vert. To the second and third, argent, 
to the barry, azure. 

Helmet — Crowned. 

Crest — Stag issuing from between two wings 
expanded and conjoined, cut evenly off. Dexter 
of sable on or, sinister of argent on azure. 

Lambrequins — Conformed to the colors and met- 
als on the escutcheon. 

Charles Christopher Springer, the first 
of the family to come to the New World, 
was the son of the then Swedish ambas- 
sador to Germany and emigrated to the 
colonies about 1675, settling with the 
company of Swedes which he found es- 
tablished at what is now Wilmington, 
Delaware. 

Tillinghast Springer, father of William 
A. Springer, was for years a well known 
sea captain. He was also a violinist and 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



singer, and it was from him that his son 
inherited his love of music. Prior to the 
War of 1812, Captain Springer was mas- 
ter of one of a line of packets plying be- 
tween the Kennebec river and New Eng- 
land seaports, and when the vessel 
chanced to be wind-bound or becalmed 
the passengers passed many an hour 
dancing on the quarter-deck to the sweet 
strains of his violin. Captain Springer 
married . 

William A. Springer, son of Tilling- 
hast Springer, was born in Augusta, 
Maine. He was reared on a farm, re- 
ceiving his education in the public 
schools of his birthplace. He developed 
at a very early age a passionate fondness 
for music, but his environment was such 
as to prevent him from studying the art 
in which in after years he was to achieve 
international distinction. In 1857 Mr. 
Springer went to Medway, Massachu- 
setts, where he found employment in a 
boot factory. During the winters he at- 
tended singing schools, becoming quite 
proficient as a reader of music. In 1861 
the first original expression of his gen- 
ius was called forth by the initial tragedy 
of the Civil War, the death of Colonel 
Ellsworth, who was shot by General 
Jackson at the Marshall House, Alexan- 
dria, Virginia. Under the influence of 
the grief and indignation inspired by the 
heartrending event, Mr. Springer com- 
posed a quartette entitled "The Memory 
of Ellsworth." 

In 1862 Mr. Springer went to Franklin, 
where he took lessons of Professor Han- 
del Pond, at the same time singing in 
local church choirs. In 1863 he went to 
Brookfield, where he was chorister in the 
choir of the Unitarian church. In 1864 
he enlisted in the Forty-second Regiment, 
Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, and 
proceeded to the seat of war. Service in 
the field, however, did but act as a stim- 



ulus to his musical genius, and while 
there he composed a quartette which was 
rendered at many a soldier's grave as an 
expression of the sorrow of his surviving 
comrades. 

In the spring of 1865 Mr. Springer went 
to Marlboro, where he became a member 
of the Union Church choir, and there, 
under the directorship of L. S. Brigham, 
continued to sing for a number of years. 
Upon Mr. Brigham's resignation he was 
succeeded by Mr. Springer, who held the 
position of conductor for seven years. 
At the end of that time he resigned and 
for some four years sang in the choir of 
the Unitarian church. After that, he 
was for two years chorister in the First 
Baptist Church. 

During all these years, with their many 
changes, Mr. Springer was more or less 
engaged in writing music, his composi- 
tions consisting of church anthems, church 
tunes, memorial hymns and secular songs. 
Among his most popular works is his 
patriotic allegory, "The Nation's Strug- 
gle," depicting the four years of the Civil 
War. The presentation of this work 
elicited the following resolutions from 
Post No. 43, Grand Army of the Repub- 
lic : 

Headquarters, 
John A. Rawlins Post 43, G. A. R., 
Marlboro, Mass., Feb. 3, 1885. 

At the regular meeting held this evening the fol- 
lowing preamble and resolutions were unanimously 
adopted : 

Whereas, We have heard so many words of 
praise for the entertainment presented by the com- 
mittee of this Post, in which they placed upon the 
stage the patriotic allegory written by Comrade 
W. A. Springer, and published by White, Smith 
and Company, in which the allegorical and real- 
istic scenes of the great struggle which saved the 
nation and freed the slave were presented ; there- 
fore 

Resolved, That we tender our thanks to the com- 
mittee and to those who so ably took part in it, 
both of our own members and all others, and we 
would cordially recommend to any Post that de- 

10 




'AA. 



d U: 




^ 



l-^ 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



sires to spend a pleasant and an instructive eve- 
ning to procure the patriotic allegory as published 
by White, Smith and Company, as covering more 
features of interest than have ever been presented 
before. 
Attest: J. W. Barnes, 

Adjutant. 

The crowning effort of Mr. Springer's 
genius was his cantata, "The Night of 
Wonders, or the Birth of Christ." This 
work was written by special request of 
the publishers and presented in Marlboro 
in 1886. A revised edition was presented 
in 1897 and is now published in London, 
England. Among the many commenda- 
tions bestowed upon it was the following 
from the Rev. L. B. Goodrich, of Marl- 
boro, the words forming part of a letter 
addressed to Mr. Springer: 

The idea is good, excellent; the music bright 
and pleasing to all. Some of the chorus work es- 
pecially so. It is by far the best thing of the 
sort to which I have ever listened. 

Of every phase of the career of William 
A. Springer the art he has so devotedly 
worshipped has formed a part, and at 
every period of his life he has made it a 
power for good. As a soldier he caused it 
to pay tribute to his departed comrades, 
and to cheer, console and inspire those 
who were still contending on the field. 
In the many years of peace which have 
followed he has made it a means of min- 
istering to and uplifting his fellowmen 
and of strengthening the bond of friend- 
ship between the nations of the earth. 

Mr. Springer married Eliza Augusta 
Winter, a native of Farmingdale, Maine. 
Winter is one of the season names and 
has been used from a very early period. 
Two families bearing the name were 
planted in New England during the sev- 
enteenth century. One was of English 
origin and the other German. In the case 
of the latter the name was translated. 



Mr. Springer and his wife were the par- 
ents of a son : Frederick A., a sketch of 
whom follows. 



SPRINGER, Frederick A., 

Textile Manufacturer. 

Trained in textile lines in a famous 
technical institution of his native New 
England, Mr. Springer has confined his 
industrial connections to New England 
enterprises, with the exception of a short 
time spent in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 
and is now an official of the Mianus Man- 
ufacturing Company. Son of William A. 
and Eliza Augusta (Winter) Springer, he 
was born in Marlboro, Massachusetts, 
January 14, 1866. 

He received his early education in the 
schools of his native town. He then took 
a special course in textile designing at the 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 
Mr. Springer's first position was in the 
designing department of the Sanford 
Mills, Sanford, Maine, where he remained 
a little over a year. At the end of that 
time he went to Philadelphia, Pennsyl- 
vania, where he opened a designing stu- 
dio, but after fifteen months returned to 
Sanford, and for about ten years was in 
charge of the designing department of 
the mills. Their exhibit of textiles, de- 
signed by Mr. Springer, was awarded a 
gold medal at the Chicago World's Fair. 
In February, 1895, Mr. Springer moved 
to North Mianus, in the town of Green- 
wich, Connecticut, and associated himself 
with the Mianus Manufacturing Com- 
pany, and since 1897 has held the offices 
of treasurer and general manager. They 
manufacture plush carriage robes, imi- 
tation fur fabrics, cloaking materials, and 
overcoatings. Their trade is largely do- 
mestic, but includes some exportation to 
Canada, and their products are sold di- 
rectly to the cutting-up trade and also 



211 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



through various agencies. The number 
of their employees averages about three 
hundred. 

Among the other business interests of 
Mr. Springer is a directorship in the 
Greenwich Trust Company. He is a 
member of the Greenwich and Stamford 
Chambers of Commerce, and was for- 
merly president of the Protective Tariff 
League of Sanford, which had at that 
time about two hundred members. He 
was one of the organizers and the first 
secretary of the Sanford Loan and Build- 
ing Association. At the present time he 
is one of the managers of the American 
Protective Tariff League of New York, 
also holding the office of manager for 
Connecticut. 

Politically, Mr. Springer is a staunch 
Republican, and has long taken a fore- 
most part in local affairs, as appears in 
his active association with tariff interests. 
He is a member of the Republican Town 
Committee of Greenwich, and also serves 
as chairman of the Greenwich School 
Committee. He is a director of the Bruce 
Museum of Greenwich. During the war 
he belonged to the Greenwich Council of 
Defense, and took a leading part in Lib- 
erty Loan drives and other activities of 
that stirring time. The fraternal asso- 
ciations of Mr. Springer include affilia- 
tions with the Masonic order, first in 
connection with Preble Lodge, Free and 
Accepted Masons, of Sanford, and later 
with Acacia Lodge, No. 85, Free and Ac- 
cepted Masons, of Greenwich. He also 
affiliates with the Ancient Order of United 
Workmen, of Stamford. He holds the of- 
fice of elder in the Presbyterian church 
of Stamford. 

Mr. Springer married (first) Carrie E. 
Bennett, who died in 1897. She was the 
mother of Beatrice Springer, a trained 
nurse, of Hartford, Connecticut ; and Nel- 
son Frederick Springer, who is associated 



with his father in business. Mr. Springer 
married (second) Caroline E. Finney, in 
1898, daughter of Lorenzo and Caroline 
C. (Jessup) Finney, of North Mianus, and 
they have one daughter, Carolyn Finney 
Springer. 

The position of Mr. Springer, both as 
manufacturer and citizen, has been for 
years that of an acknowledged leader. 
The testimony of the business world, as 
well as that of the friends and neighbors 
of his home community, would show that 
his leadership has always been a force in 
the promotion of true progress and en- 
during prosperity. 



GETMAN, Frederick H., 

Noted Scientist and Author. 

Frederick H. Getman, a prominent and 
highly esteemed citizen of Stamford, Con- 
necticut, an authority on the Solvay the- 
ory of solution, which he was one of the 
first to develop, and a chemist and a 
scientist of international standing, is a 
member of an old New York State family 
that has resided in the neighborhood of 
Stone Arabia, Montgomery county, for 
many generations. He is descended from 
John Frederick Getman, who founded the 
family in that region, and from whom the 
line of descent runs through his son 
George Getman, who married Delia Shoe- 
maker; George (2) Getman, who married 
Elizabeth House, a daughter of Peter 
House, who was killed in the battle of 
Stone Arabia in 1770; George (3) Get- 
man, who married Elizabeth Empie ; 
Charles Getman, who married Chloe Hut- 
ton ; to Charles Henry Getman, father of 
the Mr. Getman of this sketch. 

Charles Henry Getman was born June 
1, 1840, at Troy, New York, and came, 
in the year 1888, to Connecticut, where he 
made his home in the city of Stamford. 
He will long be remembered in that place 



212 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



as an active business man, and as a citizen 
who held the highest ideals of life and had 
courage to carry them into the daily rou- 
tine of his business. Charles Henry Get- 
man received his early education in the 
public schools of Troy, New York, and 
later attended the academies at Lenox, 
Massachusetts, and Warrenville, New 
York. He then held a position as clerk 
for three years in the lumber office of 
Piatt, Getman and Harris, of Troy, of 
which firm his father was a member. He 
took a keen interest in this line of busi- 
ness and devoted himself to it with so 
much zeal and industry, that he was 
shortly admitted to the firm as a junior 
partner, and remained thus associated 
for a number of years. In 1859 he became 
a member of the firm of J. W. Freeman, 
of West Troy, engaged in the same busi- 
ness, and there remained until 1874. In 
that year he acquired an interest in the 
wholesale lumber business of Boyd & 
Company, of Oswego, New York, the 
name of the concern being changed to 
Getman, Boyd & Company, Mr. Getman 
assuming full control of the business and 
maintaining it for some time. In 1888 he 
came to Stamford, where he purchased 
the interest of Mr. St. John, of the firm 
of St. John, Hoyt & Company, his asso- 
ciates being Messrs. Hoyt and Judd. The 
three gentlemen continued the business 
under the name of Hoyt, Getman & Judd 
until 1893, when the death of Mr. Hoyt 
caused a reorganization of the concern, 
the name being changed to Getman & 
Judd. In 1897 Mr. Frank Bogardus was 
admitted into partnership and the name 
was again changed to Getman, Judd & 
Company. At about this time Mr. Get- 
man's health failed seriously, due to heart 
trouble. His death occurred on October 
12, 1897, at Oswego, New York, where 
he had gone for a short vacation. At the 
time of his death, he was a director of the 



Stamford Savings Bank, and of both the 
Massachusetts and Pennsylvania Mutual 
Fire Insurance companies. He was also 
a member of the Suburban Club of Stam- 
ford, the Republican Club of New York 
City, the Connecticut Society of the Sons 
of the American Revolution, and the 
Stamford Board of Trade, of which he 
had been the president for several years. 
He was a prominent Free Mason, having 
joined that order while residing in Troy, 
and was a member of the lodge, chapter, 
and council, and the Apollo Comman- 
dery, Knights Templar. In politics he 
was a staunch Republican and was promi- 
nent in the local organization of his party, 
representing Stamford in the State Leg- 
islature of 1892 and 1893. During his 
membership in that body he was respon- 
sible for the granting of the first city 
charter to Stamford, and served on the 
committee of cities and boroughs. He 
was president of the Connecticut Lumber 
Dealers' Association and labored inde- 
fatigably for its welfare. During the Civil 
War he was placed in charge of the ord- 
nance stores at the Watervliet Arsenal, 
and supervised the sending of supplies to 
General Grant at Chattanooga, Tennes- 
see, after the battle of Lookout Moun- 
tain. 

Charles Henry Getman married, Janu- 
ary 10, 1871, Alice Peake, a daughter of 
Aaron Peake of Broadalbin, New York, 
and they were the parents of one son, 
Frederick Hutton Getman, with whose 
career we are here especially concerned. 

Frederick H. Getman, only son of 
Charles Henry and Alice (Peake) Get- 
man, was born February 9, 1877, at Os- 
wego, New York, and removed to Stam- 
ford, Connecticut, with his parents, in the 
spring of 1888. As a lad he attended the 
King School at Stamford, from which he 
entered the Rensselaer Polytechnic In- 
stitute, where he remained for three years. 

'13 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



He then matriculated at the University 
of Virginia, where he took a general scien- 
tific course, specializing in the subject of 
chemistry. He graduated from the chem- 
ical department of that institution in 1897, 
after which he returned to the North and 
for five years taught chemistry in the 
Stamford High School. In 1901 he en- 
tered Johns Hopkins University at Balti- 
more, Maryland, where he took a special 
course in physical chemistry and where he 
received the degree of Ph. D. in 1903. In 
1902 and 1903 he held a fellowship at 
Johns Hopkins, and during the year fol- 
lowing, was appointed Carnegie research 
assistant in physical chemistry, and fel- 
low by courtesy. In 1904 he was called 
by the College of the City of New York 
to lecture on physical chemistry, and in 
1905 became instructor in physical science 
at the Stamford High School. Dr. Get- 
man's reputation as a scientist and teacher 
had been firmly established by this time, 
and he was called by Columbia Univer- 
sity in 1906, to take a position as lecturer 
in physics. A year later he was chosen 
associate professor of chemistry at Bryn 
Mawr College, a post he held until 1914. 
In that year he resigned from his position 
at Bryn Mawr, and gave up teaching in 
order to devote himself to scientific re- 
search in his private laboratory at Stam- 
ford. He has continued thus occupied 
up to the present and is now engaged in 
research on various problems in physical 
chemistry. The theory of solution has 
claimed his attention for nearly twenty 
years, and he may claim the distinction 
of being one of the pioneers in the de- 
velopment of the Solvay theory. Dr. Get- 
man's thesis for his degree of Ph.' D. 
dealt with the study of the freezing-points 
of solutions. 

He has written extensively on his 
chosen subjects, his works including nu- 
merous articles on the theory of solution, 



which have appeared in the "American 
Chemical Journal" and the "Journal of the 
American Chemical Society," and he has 
also published a number of books, notably 
those entitled "Blow-pipe Analysis," 
"Laboratory Exercises in Physical Chem- 
istry" and "Outlines of Theoretical Chem- 
istry." The laboratory of Dr. Getman, 
already referred to, was built by him near 
his residence at Stamford, and is fully 
equipped with the most modern and ap- 
proved apparatus for experimental work 
of the most delicate nature. As one who 
is carrying on the most advanced research 
in his line, it is often necessary for Dr. 
Getman to design and construct new de- 
vices and apparatus for himself and in 
this he has displayed an unusual degree 
of inventive genius. He has never lost 
his interest in educational matters, al- 
though he has himself withdrawn from 
active work in that line, and he is at pres- 
ent a director of the King School of 
Stamford, in which he himself was a stu- 
dent as a lad. He was a Phi Beta Kappa 
man at his university, and is a member 
of the American Chemical Society, the 
American Electro-Chemical Society, the 
Franklin Institute, the Chemists' Club of 
New York, and the Societe de Chimie 
Physique of Paris. He is also a fellow of 
the American Association for the Ad- 
vancement of Science, and of the London 
Chemical Society. Dr. Getman, in spite 
of his preoccupation with science, has 
always given considerable attention to his 
large business interests and is connected 
with several of the companies with which 
his father was associated before his death. 
He is vice-president of the Getman &Judd 
Company, one of the largest firms dealing 
in timber and lumber in Connecticut, and 
is a director of the St. John Woodwork- 
ing Company. Dr. Getman and his wife 
are members of the Stamford Presby- 
terian Church, he being an active worker 



214 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



in the congregation, and chairman of its 
board of trustees. 

Frederick H. Getman was united in 
marriage, November 26, 1906, with Ellen 
M. Holbrook, a daughter of Eliphalet and 
Harriet (Rice) Holbrook, old and highly 
respected residents of Plymouth, Massa- 
chusetts. 



SCOFIELD, Samuel Ferris, 

Honored Citizen. 

There is no name more honored in the 
history of Stamford, Connecticut, than 
Scofield. It was first brought to Fairfield 
county by the immigrant ancestor of the 
family, Daniel Scofield, and the members 
of each generation since that time have 
added to its honor. They have been men 
who were held high in the regard of their 
fellow-citizens, and were identified with 
the upbuilding of their communities. A 
worthy scion of this distinguished family 
was the late Samuel Ferris Scofield, of 
Stamford, one of the useful and upright 
citizens of his day. 

Many surnames were derived from the 
localities where the individuals resided 
who adopted them : Slocum, from Sloe 
Combe, the wild plum pasture ; and 
Welles, which was taken from the springs 
of water near a home. Scolefield, the 
original form of Scofield, literally signi- 
fied a field containing small houses or 
cottages, similar to those which would be 
found on the estate of the early titled 
English families. Through the centuries 
this changed in form and spelling to the 
present day usage, Scofield. 

The progenitor of the family was Dan- 
iel Scofield, born in the parish of Roch- 
dale, Lancashire, England. He was a 
grandson of Sir Cuthbert Scofield, of Sco- 
field Manor, the family being of ancient 
and honorable lineage. In the reign of 
Queen Elizabeth, arms were granted to 



Sir Cuthbert Scofield as a younger son 
of the Scofields of Kent, and who was 
knighted for services A. D. 1588 in the 
Spanish Armada. 

Arms: Granted 1582. 

Arms — Gules, a chevron between three bull's 
heads, couped (another cabossed) argent. 
Crest— A bull's head gules, collared argent. 
Another Crest — A bull's head or. 

There are indications from which a 
pretty accurate line of descent could be 
traced one hundred years farther than Sir 
Cuthbert Scofield. The name has simply 
been Scofield in the records for more than 
three hundred years. Schofield, Scovil 
and Scoville are variations. 

(I) Daniel Scofield, immigrant ances- 
tor, came to America in 1639, in the ship 
"Susan and Ellen," and after residing for 
a time in Ipswich, Massachusetts, he lo- 
cated in Stamford, Connecticut, where his 
death occurred in 1671. On December 7, 
1641, he received two acres consisting of 
a home lot, and three acres of woodland, 
as the first company. He was a man of 
prominence in the Colony, and served as 
marshal of Stamford in 1658. He mar- 
ried Mary Youngs, daughter of Rev. John 
Youngs, and she married (second) Miles 
Merwin. 

(II) John Scofield, son of Daniel and 
Mary (Youngs) Scofield, was born in 
1650, and died March 27, 1699. He mar- 
ried in Stamford, July 12, 1677, Hannah 
Mead. 

(III) Nathaniel Scofield, son of John 
and Hannah (Mead) Scofield, was born 
December 10, 1688, and died 1768. He 
married, June 13, 1713-14, Elizabeth 
Pettet. 

(IV). John (2) Scofield, son of Nathan- 
iel and Elizabeth (Pettet) Scofield, was 
born October 4, 1716. He is said to have 
been a teamster in the Revolutionary 
War. He married, in 1743, Hannah Mills. 



215 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



(V) John (3) Scofield, son of John 
(2) and Hannah (Mills) Scofield, was 
born September 4, 1746. He married 
(first) February 18, 1768, Susannah 
Weed, and there were no children by this 
marriage. On January 14, 1773, he mar- 
ried (second) Elizabeth Nicholas, a 
Scotch woman. She was a fearless horse- 
woman, and during the Revolution was 
riding near Norwalk one day when she 
was overtaken by some British officers 
who boasted that they had burned Nor- 
walk and would soon burn Stamford. 
Mrs. Scofield quickly grasping the situa- 
tion thought of a short cut back to Stam- 
ford, and with confidence in the speed of 
her horse she rode back through the 
woods and warned the men of Stamford of 
the coming of British, and thereby saved 
the town. John Scofield and his brave 
wife are buried in the family lot two miles 
north of the city of Stamford. They were 
the parents of seven children. 

(VI) Silas Scofield, third child and 
second son of John (3) and Elizabeth 
(Nicholas) Scofield, was born April 2, 
1776, and died in 1853. He married, Feb- 
ruary 13, 1803, Rebecca Holmes. The 
name of Holmes originated in England 
about A. D. 970, when King Etheldred 
conferred upon his grandson the title, 
"Earl of Holmes." The first of this il- 
lustrious family to come to America were 
Robert Holmes, who settled in Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts, and John, Oba- 
diah, George and William Holmes, who 
came to Massachusetts three years later. 
After three years there, John Holmes set- 
tled in New Bedford. Silas and Rebecca 
(Holmes) Scofield were the parents of 
three sons : Silas, Benjamin and Alfred. 
When Benjamin and Alfred reached their 
majority, Silas Scofield bought the land 
which was then called Westcotts, where 
Mrs. Scofield now lives, which had been 
reserved by the Indians for their planting 



ground at the time the colonists bought 
the site of the present town of Stamford. 
Silas Scofield gave these sons that point 
of land as a wedding present and the farm 
has been in the family ever since. He 
also owned the land and built the stone 
house on Elm street at the head of which 
is now Shippan avenue. 

(VII) Benjamin Scofield, son of Silas 
and Rebecca (Holmes) Scofield, was born 
at Shippan, Stamford, Connecticut, March 
2, 1804. He was sergeant of the Train 
Band, and was a farmer throughout the 
active years of his life. His death oc- 
curred January 5, 1884. Benjamin Sco- 
field married Susan Ferris, daughter of 
Samuel Ferris. 

(VIII) Samuel Ferris Scofield, son of 
Benjamin and Susan (Ferris) Scofield, 
was born in the place now occupied by 
his family, November 11, 1839. He grew 
to manhood there, and with his brother, 
Charles A. Scofield, who still survives, he 
succeeded to the ownership of the home 
farm, where they engaged in general 
farming. Samuel Ferris Scofield was very 
much of a home man ; his interests were 
centered in his family and the care of the 
homestead. However, he was a good 
citizen, a man of high principles, and was 
always willing and anxious to do his share 
for the welfare of the public. 

Mr. Scofield married, September 28, 
1871, Frances Elizabeth Hoyt, daughter 
of Ira Ford Hoyt, of South Norwalk, Con- 
necticut. The Hoyt genealogy will be 
found elsewhere in connection with the 
sketch of Mrs. Scofield's brother, Dudley 
E. Hoyt. Mrs. Scofield is a member of 
the Christian Science church, in which she 
has advanced to the office of reader. She 
is also a Christian Science practitioner. 
Mr. and Mrs. Scofield were the parents of 
four daughters : Mary Wixon, Susan Em- 
ily ; Ada Irene, married Clarence E. Bor- 
gardus, a sketch of whom appears else- 

16 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



where in this work; Frances S., married 
Harry C. Quintard, and they have one 
child, Virginia. Mr. Scofield died at the 
family homestead. 

Like leaves on trees, 

The race of man is found. 

Now green in youth, 

Now withering on the ground. 

Another race the following spring supplies, 

They fall successive, and successive rise. 

So generations in their course decay, 

So flourish these when those have passed away. 



SCOFIELD, Harry Clinton, 

Lawyer, Public-spirited Citizen. 

Eminent in his own right as one of the 
leading lawyers of Stamford, Connecti- 
cut, Harry C. Scofield is also a descend- 
ant of one of the oldest and most promi- 
nent families of Fairfield county. Mem- 
bers of the Scofield family have been fore- 
most in thought and action in their com- 
munities, and have marked their passing 
years with worthy achievements. Since 
1641, in which year Daniel Scofield (q. v.), 
the immigrant ancestor of the family set- 
tled in Fairfield county, there have been 
men of this name in responsible and hon- 
ored positions. 

Alpheus Scofield, great-great-grand- 
father of Harry Clinton Scofield, was a 
settler of Newfield. His name appears on 
the land records as a grantee as early as 
1793, and frequently in land transactions 
after that date. His will was proved Feb- 
ruary 6, 1844, and in it he mentions his 
wife Elizabeth. The Stamford vital rec- 
ords state that "Mrs. Alpheus Scofield 
died July 18, 1852, aged seventy-five 
years." 

Hezekiah Scofield, great-grandfather 
of our subject, and the father of Luther 
S. Scofield, died March 27, 1879, aged 
sixty-one years, one month and twenty- 
five days. Luther S. Scofield served as 



selectman, and was a dealer in live stock 
in partnership with his son, Sylvester L. 
He married Caroline Crissey, daughter of 
Abram Crissey, of Darien, and grand- 
daughter of Abram Crissey, the first 
school teacher of that town. 

Sylvester Luther Scofield, son of Luther 
S. Scofield, was born in Stamford, in 
1845, and was educated in the public 
schools there and at the Glendenning 
Academy, a well known school of that 
period. He was accustomed to assist 
his father in the cattle business from 
his boyhood, and after attaining his ma- 
jority he entered the work with his fa- 
ther. They purchased cattle and slaugh- 
tered them and did business on such a 
large scale at one time that they helped 
to fix the prices of meat in New York 
City, which city drew largely on Western 
Connecticut for its meat supply. About 
1894 Mr. Scofield retired from his active 
business cares to enjoy a well-deserved 
rest. He was a Republican in politics, 
and held the offices of justice of the peace 
and grand juror. He enlisted in Com- 
pany A, Twenty-eighth Regiment, Con- 
necticut Volunteer Infantry, for nine 
months, but served two years. After the 
war he organized the Regimental Asso- 
ciation, of which he was president for 
many years, and then its secretary until 
the time of his death. He compiled the 
records of his regiment, now deposited at 
Hartford. Mr. Scofield was an active 
member of William T. Miner Post, Grand 
Army of the Republic, of which he was 
past commander. He also held office in 
the State organization of the Grand Army 
of the Republic. 

Sylvester Luther Scofield married Har- 
riet L. Scofield, daughter of Nathaniel 
and Polly A. (Ferris) Scofield. Nathan- 
iel Scofield was a son of Phineas Scofield, 
who married (first) Mercy Finch, whose 



217 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



mother was Rachel Bishop, great-grand- 
daughter of Rev. John Bishop, the first 
minister of Stamford. Rev. John Bishop 
walked from Boston to Stamford with his 
staff and Bible. He married Susanna 
Pierson, daughter of Rev. Abraham Pier- 
son, one of the founders and the first 
president of Yale College. Nathaniel 
Scofield married Polly A. Ferris, daughter 
of Asa Ferris, of Sound Beach. Their 
daughter, Harriet L. Scofield, became the 
wife of Sylvester Luther Scofield, as 
above mentioned. The children of Syl- 
vester L. and Harriet L. (Scofield) Sco- 
field were: Carrie L., and Harry Clinton, 
of whom further. 

Harry Clinton Scofield, only son of 
Sylvester Luther and Harriet L. (Sco- 
field) Scofield, was born May 7, 1875. He 
attended the public schools and graduated 
from the Stamford High School. Subse- 
quently he went to New York City and 
for thirteen years he was in the employ of 
a marine insurance company. In his 
evenings and spare time from his business 
he attended the Dwight School of New 
York and then pursued a course in the 
New York Law School, graduating in 
1907. During the time he was attending 
the lav/ school he was a law student in 
the office of Judge James E. Bennett, and 
was admitted to the New York bar in 
1907, and five years later to the Connec- 
ticut bar. For three years Mr. Scofield 
practiced in New York and then removed 
to his native city, where he has since been 
located. Mr. Scofield is one of the lead- 
ing men of affairs of Stamford. He takes 
an active interest in all public and social 
matters, and his counsel is often sought 
on many public questions. Mr. Scofield 
was a delegate to the first convention of 
the Progressive party in Chicago, and he 
formulated the Connecticut platform of 

2 



that party in collaboration with Herbert 
Knox Smith, and Dr. Flavel S. Luther. 
For two years he served as deputy judge 
of the City Court of Stamford, and is now 
secretary of the school board. 

Mr. Scofield is also a director of sev- 
eral business and financial corporations ; 
he is a director of the Young Men's 
Christian Association, and of the Visiting 
Nurses' Association. His activities in 
fraternal organizations are many. While 
a student at law school, he was a mem- 
ber of the class committee and president 
of his class ; was a member of the Owls 
Head Club, and of Nylsens Club, which 
he served as president. He is a past 
master of Union Lodge, No. 5, Free and 
Accepted Masons ; and is district deputy 
grand master of the First Masonic Dis- 
trict of Connecticut; member of Ritten- 
house Chapter, Royal Arch Masons ; 
Washington Council, Royal and Select 
Masters; Clinton Commandery, Knights 
Templar; and Lafayette Consistory, of 
Bridgeport, of which he is junior warden. 
He also holds membership in Puritan 
Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows. Other societies of which Mr. Sco- 
field is a member are : The Stamford His- 
torical Society ; the Sons of the American 
Revolution ; and the Sons of Veterans. 

Mr. Scofield married Florence Weed 
Scofield, daughter of George A. Scofield, 
and they were the parents of a son, Laur- 
ence Pierson Scofield, named for the an- 
cestor of the family, Abraham Pierson, 
above mentioned. Laurence P. Scofield 
was born October 28, 1900. Mrs. Flor- 
ence Weed Scofield died in that year. 
Mr. Scofield is a member of the Congre- 
gational church of Stamford, and is ac- 
tive in its good works. He has served as 
deacon and superintendent of its Sunday 
school. 
18 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



LOWE, Russell Walter, 

Physician, World War Veteran. 

Dr. Lowe's family is of ancient Eng- 
lish origin, resident in Derbyshire, where 
its members bore arms as follows : 

Arms— Gules, a hart trippant argent. 
Crest — A wolf passant argent. 

(I) Its American history begins with the 
coming of Thomas Lowe from his Eng- 
lish home to the United States about 1847, 
when he settled in Stockbridge, New 
York. He married, in England, Martha 
Ann Thaxter, and they were the parents 
of: James, born 1838; John; Walter 
Robert, of whom further; William, Lep- 
timus, Charles, Sarah. 

(II) Walter Robert Lowe, son of 
Thomas and Martha A. (Thaxter) Lowe, 
was born in Buxton, England, in 1841. He 
was an architect and builder, acquiring an 
enviable reputation and patronage in that 
line, especially in Madison county, New 
York, where he was a successful business 
man. For thirty-two years he was in 
partnership with Chauncey Quackenbush 
in Oneida, under the firm name of Quack- 
enbush & Lowe, retiring in 1916 to private 
life and taking up his residence in Ridge- 
field, Connecticut. He held many positions 
of trust, served for years as collector and 
assessor of his town, also as alderman. 
Public-spirited and enterprising, he did 
all in his power to advance the welfare 
of the community. In politics he was a 
Republican. He married, August 9, 1866, 
Abbie De Etta Ranney, daughter of 
Oliver Russell and Elizabeth Franklin 
(Carpenter) Ranney (see Ranney VII). 
Children: 1. Russell Walter, of whom 
further. 2. Agnes Elizabeth, born May 
7, 1872 ; married Henry B. Doxstader, and 
resides in Oneida, New York. They have 
three children, Helen Agnes, Hattie 
Louise, and Delila Abbie. 



(Ill) Russell Walter Lowe, son of 
Walter Robert and Abbie De Etta (Ran- 
ney) Lowe, was born in Oneida, Madi- 
son county, New York, March 19, 1868. 
After attending the Oneida schools, he 
entered the medical department of New 
York University, and was graduated 
M. D. in 1889. For one year he served in 
the Bridgeport Hospital as house sur- 
geon, and subsequently practiced in 
Georgetown, Connecticut, for three and 
one-half years. About 1894 he made 
Ridgefield his home and his place of prac- 
tice, and has there continued to the pres- 
ent time. Dr. Lowe has an extensive 
practice in New York, and his local work 
covers approximately a seven mile radius 
from Ridgefield. His office is splendidly 
appointed, and his clientele is among the 
representative families of the district. 
He is a member of the New York Acad- 
emy of Meuicine, the Medical and Sur- 
gical Association of New York, and local 
professional bodies. 

Dr. Lowe has taken a public-spirited 
interest in affairs of public concern, and 
for about eighteen years was active in 
local matters. He was chairman of the 
sixth school district for two years, as- 
sisted in the organization of the borough 
of Ridgefield, and led in the movement 
that resulted in the installation of the 
sewerage system of the town. His political 
convictions are Republican, but he has 
taken little part in party affairs. He is 
a past master of Ark Lodge, No. 39, Free 
and Accepted Masons, of Wilton, having 
been honored with that office when 
twenty-three years of age, one of the 
youngest men in the State to be made 
master of a lodge. Dr. Lowe also affil- 
iates with Chapter, Royal Arch 

Masons, Danbury Commandery, Knights 
Templar, and Pyramid Temple, Ancient 
Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, 



219 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



of Bridgeport. Dr. Lowe entered the 
medical department of the United States 
army during the World War and was in 
service for eighteen months. He was 
assigned to various hospitals, including 
those at Camp Oglethorpe and Camp 
Gordon, and was honorably discharged 
with the rank of captain. 

Dr. Lowe married, in 1891, Maria 
Louisa Beers, born in Branchville, Fair- 
field county, Connecticut, daughter of 
William W. and Louisa (Gilbert) Beers 
(see Beers V). They are the parents of 
one son, Gilbert, born July 10, 1893, who 
was educated in St. Paul's School in Con- 
cord, New Hampshire, and Columbia 
University. He had served three years 
in the medical corps of the United States 
navy, and had been honorably discharged 
before the United States entered the 
World War. Re-enlisting, he was de- 
tailed for duty at the Naval Hospital in 
Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He mar- 
ried Jeannette Merrill, of Cleveland, Ohio, 
and they have one child, Jane, born May 
26, 1918. 

(The Ranney Line). 

Volume II "Scottish Arms" names the 
Rany and Renny families. Herbert Ray- 
ning sat in Parliament for Dumfries, 
1572. Robert Rayning was provost, 1578. 
Symon Renny was bailie of Inverkeithing, 
1360. Sir John Rany, of England, is 
named in 1660. The name is given in va- 
rious forms in France and Flanders at a 
very early date. Arms have been borne 
as follows : 

Arms — Gules, two wings in pale argent, each 
charged with three bars gemels sable. 

(I) Thomas Rany, born about 1616, 
first American ancestor, was in Middle- 
town, Connecticut, in 1658. Gravestone 
records say he died June 21, 1713. His 
will and an inventory of his estate are on 
file in Hartford. He married, in May, 



1659, Mary Hubbard, born January 16, 
1641, died December 18, 1721, daughter 
of George and Elizabeth (Watts) Hub- 
bard. Children: Thomas, born 1660; 
John, of whom further ; Joseph, born 
1663; Mary, born 1665, married John 
Savage ; Elizabeth, born 1668, married 
Jonathan Warner; Esther, born 1673, 
married Nathaniel Savage ; Hannah, born 
1675, died 1713; Margaret, born 1678-79, 
married Stephan Clark ; Ebenezer, born 
about 1681 ; Mercy, born 1682 ; Abigail, 
married, 1713-14, Walter Harris. 

(II) John Ranney, son of Thomas and 
Mary (Hubbard) Rany, was born Novem- 
ber 14, 1662. He married, December 28, 
1693, Hannah Turner, born March 4, 
1678-79, daughter of Edward and Mary 
(Sanford) Turner. They lived in Mid- 
dletown, Connecticut, and were original 
members of the North Society Church in 
1714-15. Children: Marce, born 1695, 
married John Hall; Hannah, born 1699; 
John, born 1700, died same year; John, 
born 1703; Richard, of whom further; 
Deborah, born 1708; Jeremiah, born 1713; 
Samuel, born 1715, married Ann Miller. 

(III) Richard Ranney, son of John and 
Hannah (Turner) Ranney, was born Feb- 
ruary 18, 1705, and died September 16, 
1759. A Richard Ranney served, April 
19-September 3, 1758, in the Seventh 
Company, First Regiment. He married, 
November 7, 1729, in East Middletown, 
Connecticut, Margery Miller, born Feb- 
ruary 23, 1706, daughter of John and 
Marcy (Bevins) Miller. Children: Jere- 
miah, born 1730; Richard, born 1732; 
Elijah, of whom further ; Stephen, born 
1737 ; Marcy, born 1739 ; Mary, born 1740; 
Jabez, born 1742-43, married Penelope 
Bowers ; Edward, born 1746, served in the 
French and Indian War; Abner, born 
1747; Hannah, born 1750, married Joel 
Hale; Mary, born 1754. 



220 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



(IV) Elijah Ranney, son of Richard 
and Margery (Miller) Ranney, was born 
October 6, 1735, in Middletown, Connec- 
ticut, died 1789, and his estate was dis- 
tributed, October 7, 1789. In 1756 he 
purchased land in Granville, and in 1773 
removed to Blanford, Massachusetts. He 
married, March 2, 1763, in Granville, 
Massachusetts, Mary Cook, born 1744, 
died April 1, 1832. Children: Mary, born 
1763, married Jonathan Norton; Sybil, 
born 1765, married a Mr. Crane ; Jere- 
miah, born May 5, 1769; Elijah, removed 
to Watervliet, New York ; Ebenezer, of 
whom further; Rufus, born 1780; Rox- 
ana, married John Loyd ; Eunice, married 
Darius Stephens. 

(V) Ebenezer Ranney, son of Elijah 
and Mary (Cook) Ranney, was born May 
25, 1776, and died April 12, i860. In 
1797 he removed to Waterville, New 
York, and from there to Augusta, New 
York. In 1832 he removed to Valley 
Mills, where he erected a saw mill and a 
woolen mill. He was a Baptist, organ- 
ized a society in Augusta, New York, and 
at his own expense rebuilt the mission 
church in Valley Mills, and preached in 
it many years. He is said to have served 
at Sacketts Harbor in the War of 1812. 
He married, February 23, 1800, Almeda 
Bartholomew, born July 26, 1781, in 
Goshen, Connecticut, died June 19, 1868, 
daughter of Oliver and Ann (Lacy) Bar- 
tholomew. Children: Ores, born 1801 ; 
Dorcas, born 1803, married Zacharias 
Lewis ; Hiram, born 1805 ; Ebenezer, born 
1809, married Betsey Calkins; Anson L., 
born 181 1, • Oliver Russell, of whom fur- 
ther; Almeda Pamelia, born 1820, mar- 
ried William W. Bingham. 

(VI) Oliver Russell Ranney, son of 
Ebenezer and Almeda (Bartholomew) 
Ranney, was born in Augusta, New York, 
in January, 1816, and died June 24, 1897. 



He was engaged in the jewelry business, 
and was a member of the Baptist church. 
He married, in Stockbridge, New York, 
November 22, 1835, Elizabeth Franklin 
Carpenter, born May 5, 1814, died Decem- 
ber 13, 1877, daughter of Ezekiel and 
Dorcas (Gardner) Carpenter, of Rhode 
Island. Children : Agnes Elizabeth, born 
1839, died 1854; Elvira Ann, born 1842, 
died 1849; Abbie De Etta, of whom fur- 
ther; Mary Josephine, born 1850, died 
1862. 

(VII) Abbie De Etta Ranney, daughter 
of Oliver Russell and Elizabeth Frank- 
lin (Carpenter) Ranney, born February 
5, 1847, ' n Stockbridge, New York, mar- 
ried, August 9, 1866, in Oneida, New 
York, Walter Robert Lowe (see Lowe 
II). 

(The Beers Line). 

England is the fatherland of the Beers 
family. Genealogical records trace its 
ancestry to the feudal age under the name 
Beare, which was afterwards written 
Bears. Coat-of-arms : 

Arms — Argent, a bear rampant, sable, canton 
gules. 

Crest — On a garb lying fesseways or, a raven 
sable. 

Motto — Bear and forbear. 

(I) John Beers, founder of the family 
in America, was in Stratford, Connecti- 
cut, in 1678. He came to America with 
his wife Mary. His sons were: Barna- 
bas, married Elizabeth Wilcoxson, in 
1688; Samuel, married, 1706, Sarah Sher- 
man; Josiah, married, 1717, Elizabeth Uf- 
ford ; Joseph, of whom further ; Abiel, 
married, 1722, Elizabeth Cammel. 

(II) Joseph Beers, son of John and 
Mary Beers, married, in 1720, Sarah 
Clark. Children: Ephraim, born 1722; 
Mary, born 1723 ; Joseph and John 
(twins), born 1727; Andrew, born 1729; 



221 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Abel, born 1732; Sarah, born 1734; Mat- 
thew, of whom further. 

(III) Matthew Beers, son of Joseph 
and Sarah (Clark) Beers, was born De- 
cember 19, 1736. He married Sarah Cur- 
tis, of Stratford. Children : Curtis, Silas, 
Menzis, Otis, Lewis, of whom further; 
Lucinda. 

(IV) Lewis Beers, son of Matthew and 
Sarah (Curtis) Beers, married Rhoda 
Gregory, daughter of Samuel and Rhoda 
Gregory. Among their children was Wil- 
liam W., of whom further. 

(V) William W. Beers, son of Lewis 
and Rhoda (Gregory) Beers, was born 
in Ridgefield, Connecticut, September 
II, 1821, and died August 20, 1879, in 
Branchville, Connecticut. He enjoyed 
the best educational advantages the coun- 
try afforded, and at the age of seventeen 
years began teaching in Ridgefield. In 
185 1 he started his career as merchant 
in Branchville, where he continued to re- 
side until his death. He began in a small 
way, at first selling lumber, later coal, 
and then all kinds of hardware and crock- 
ery. He was the first postmaster in 
Branchville, and first station agent there 
on the Norwalk & Danbury Railroad. 
His death cast a gloom over the commu- 
nity of which he was a shining member. 
Strictly upright in all his dealings, rigidly 
honorable, he was at the same time 
kindly, benevolent and always ready to 
help the poor and needy. In matters re- 
lating to church he was not active, but 
contributed liberally of his means. He 
married (first), Paulina M. Edmonds; 
(second), Louisa Gilbert, daughter of 
Benjamin and Charlotte (Birchard) Gil- 
bert. Children by first wife : Carrie G., 
married Lewis L. Valden ; Mary E., mar- 
ried Ebenezer Hoyt ; children by second 
wife : Louis G. ; Maria Louisa, who mar- 
ried Dr. Russell Walter Lowe (see Lowe 
III). 



WARDWELL, Frederick Schuyler, 

Man of Varied Activities. 

Two decades constitute the period that 
Frederick Schuyler Wardwell passed in 
the Stamford community, during which 
he performed most of the work upon 
which his professional reputation rests 
and formed the ties that made his death a 
universal loss. The engineering works 
that he accomplished during that time 
will remain as monuments to him for 
many years, while in the friendships he 
formed, the impression of his purposeful, 
productive life upon his associates, his 
memory will endure far beyond his time. 
There is placed this record of his career 
among those of the people who knew him 
best, as a tribute and memorial to an 
adopted son of Connecticut whose activi- 
ties reflect great credit upon the common- 
wealth. 

Frederick S. Wardwell was a son of 
Emery Schuyler Wardwell, whose father 
was a native of Penobscot, Maine, where 
he followed the calling of farmer, at one 
time owning a tract of land one mile 
square. Emery Schuyler Wardwell was 
born about 1841, in Penobscot, and served 
an apprenticeship to the carpenter's trade. 
During the Civil War he enlisted as lieu- 
tenant in Company K, First Regiment, 
Maine Heavy Artillery, and was subse- 
quently transferred to the Eighteenth 
Regiment, Volunteer Infantry. He served 
with his regiment until it took up a posi- 
tion before Petersburg, when he was 
prostrated by typhoid pneumonia, which 
disabled him for a period of fourteen 
months. At the end of that time he be- 
came an instructor in schools, for a time 
serving as superintendent. He was a well 
educated man for his day, his wife's edu- 
cation being even superior to his. For 
some time he was trial justice in Penob- 
scot. Just before the Civil War, Mr. 



222 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Wardwell moved to Bucksport, where he 
purchased a large farm, known as the 
"Stover place," and engaged in dairying. 
His health, however, was not equal to the 
demands of agricultural pursuits and he 
returned to Bangor, where he spent his 
few remaining years. He belonged to the 
Grand Army of the Republic in Bucks- 
port. 

Mr. Wardwell married Roxanna Hatch, 
daughter of Elisha Hatch, of North Pe- 
nobscot. Mr. liatch, who was a farmer, 
was a native of Castine, Maine, where his 
father had taken up land. One branch of 
the family had long been resident. there, 
old records showing that Frederick Hatch 
was one of the early settlers of the town. 
Of the seven children born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Wardwell, the following reached 
maturity : Frederick Schuyler, of whom 
further; Melville H., of Cleveland, Ohio; 
Victor P., of Stamford, Connecticut ; 
Frances, of Portland, Maine ; Parris E., 
of Asbury Park, New Jersey; and Geor- 
gia. At the time of his death, Mr. Ward- 
well was about fifty-four years of age. 

Frederick Schuyler Wardwell, son of 
Emery Schuyler and Roxanna (Hatch) 
Wardwell, was born January 10, 1863, 
in Bucksport, Maine. He received his 
education in the public schools of his na- 
tive town and at the East Maine Confer- 
ence Seminary. After a time spent in 
filling clerkships he went, in 1882, to 
Minnesota, where he attended lectures at 
the State University in St. Paul. In those 
days Minnesota was a frontier State, In- 
dians and game being plentiful, and when 
Mr. Wardwell joined the engineering 
corps of the Northern Pacific Railroad he 
slept out-of-doors throughout an entire 
winter. He was employed by the railroad 
company about two years, and then en- 
tered the service of the Twin Cities Rapid 
Transit Company, that company being 
among the pioneers in the electric railwav 



business. He was sent by this company 
to represent them at Duluth and there 
built the famous incline which is still in 
operation. He also constructed the street 
railway of Duluth, and rebuilt it when the 
change was made to electric power, a 
piece of work which occupied him about 
four years. He then returned to the East 
for the purpose of building the Edge- 
wood Avenue Railroad of New Haven, 
afterward constructing the Danbury and 
Bethel Street Railway System. Next 
came the Torresdale and Bristol Street 
Railway, near Philadelphia, and the erec- 
tion of a foundry and machine shop for 
the Norwalk Iron Works completing the 
list of his work of this period. 

He came to Stamford, Connecticut, 
about 1900 to undertake the work of 
widening the east branch of the harbor 
and to construct docks. Here he made 
the headquarters for a business that 
steadily increased, and to which he gave 
the technical skill, energy and enthusiasm 
for which he became noted. He con- 
cluded to make a specialty of water-front 
construction, and gradually acquired an 
equipment that enabled him to perform 
work for which comparatively few were 
prepared to contract. One of his accom- 
plishments, which attracted wide atten- 
tion, was the laying of a pipe in Newport 
harbor at a depth of about ninety feet to 
carry water from the mainland to Dutch 
Island, a military post, about a mile and a 
half from the shore. This work was done 
in mid-winter. He constructed an outfall 
sewer with forty-two inch pipe at Coney 
Island. His work in Stamford included 
the construction of docks for the Stoll- 
werck Company, a bulkhead for the 
Petroleum Heat and Power Company, 
docks for the Yale & Towne Manufactur- 
ing Company, the Getman & Jugg Com- 
pany, the Masons' Supply Company, and 
the Luders Marine Construction Com- 



223 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



pany. A difficult commission performed 
by him shortly prior to his death was 
the cleaning of a flume used by the rail- 
way power plant at Coscob, this being ac- 
complished without interruption of the 
flow of water pipes to condensers. He 
was engaged in numerous contracts for 
dredging and construction along the 
Sound, these including the building of 
foundations for various bridges. 

Shortly after coming to Stamford, Mr. 
Wardwell began assembling a fleet of 
vessels to be employed in his work. 
Starting in a modest way, and making 
use of crude contrivances, he gradually 
extended this equipment, which now 
comprises the dredge "Urban," derrick- 
boat "Orland," pile-drivers "Castine" and 
"Interurban," towboat "Addie V.," two 
large and two small scows and a motor- 
boat. He employed a considerable force 
of men, with whom his relations as an 
employer were always agreeable. His 
determination to make his home in Stam- 
ford was formed soon after he took his 
first contract there. He was attracted to 
the city, and took a lively and intelligent 
interest in public affairs. As a member of 
a committee serving without compensa- 
tion he furnished valuable information 
and advice regarding sanitation, and 
made practical suggestion for the abate- 
ment of what has long been described as 
the mill-pond nuisance. 

He was elected a member of the Com- 
mon Council in the Fourth Ward in 1918 
and reelected in 1920; he served as chair- 
man of the Sanitation Committee, and 
performed service of high value to the 
city. His investigations disclosed condi- 
tions that convinced both the Common 
Council and the Board of Finance of the 
desirability of appointing a full-time food 
inspector, to give proper supervision of 
the slaughter of cattle and of meat sold 
for food purposes, as well as to see to 



the strict enforcement of ordinances re- 
lating to milk. In his work for the city 
he displayed the same desire to secure 
accurate information, and to carry for- 
ward desirable public improvements, as 
was exhibited in his own business, and his 
death was felt by his associates as a seri- 
ous loss to the municipality. Mr. Ward- 
well was retained at various times by 
corporations to make investigations of 
public service plants throughout the coun- 
try, and his reports were relied upon for 
accuracy, expertness and penetrating in- 
sight into fundamental facts. 

Mr. Wardwell was a member of the 
American Society of Civil Engineers, and 
the Connecticut and Fairfield County 
Engineers associations. His clubs were 
the Kiwanis and the Congregational 
Men's, and he fraternized with the Ma- 
sonic order, having joined Ionic Lodge, 
No. 17, Free and Accepted Masons, of 
Duluth, Minnesota, and holding the sev- 
enteenth degree. He also was a member 
of the Royal Arcanum and the National 
Grange. His descent in the line of eldest 
son of General Bank entitled him to mem- 
bership in the Society of the Cincinnati, 
a much coveted honor. 

Frederick Schuyler Wardwell married, 
June 5, 1886, Linda Belle Free, daughter 
of John W. and Hannah Ann (Wait) 
Free, of Richmond, Indiana, and they 
were the parents of one son, Virgil Em- 
ery, born September 20, 1892, and edu- 
cated in Stamford public schools and at 
the Massachusetts Institute of Technol- 
ogy, formerly associated with his father in 
business ; he married Gladys Darling, 
daughter of David Darling, of Rye, New 
York, and they have three children, Fred- 
erick Schuyler (2), Katherine, and Virgil 
Emery, Jr. 

Frederick Schuyler Wardwell died Jan- 
uary 16, 192 1. From the great number of 
written and spoken tributes to Stamford's 



224 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 






well-loved citizen two are here given 
place, one from the men who daily fol- 
lowed his leadership, the other quoted 
from the funeral address by Rev. Alfred 
Grant Walton : 

To create, to build, to perfect, constitute the 
consecration of a life in Christian effort. 

We, the employees of F. S. Wardwell, who in 
the past few hours have felt the loss of this 
respected leader, feel that his life has been de- 
voted to these principles. 

The memories of him that will endure vary 
according as he was known. Those who knew 
him in the intimacy of his own home, others who 
knew him in his social community life, and still 
others associated with him in the service of civic 
government, will remember him as he lived among 
them, but we, who have toiled with him in his 
profession for years past, shall remember him as 
we knew him best — a counselor, guide and friend. 
Our hopes and ambitions he made his, our welfare 
he placed before his own. In times of indecision 
we sought his counsel ; in times of need, his aid. 
At the noonday meal, where he habitually took 
his place among us as one of us, there will re- 
main in our memory a vacant chair. 

To his family, his relatives and friends, who 
have felt this sudden loss, we express our sin- 
cerest sympathy and that they may feel the depth 
of our sympathy, may we reverently add that he, 
too, was "one of us." 

We have stopped momentarily in the pursuit of 
our daily tasks to pay tribute of respect to a good 
citizen and friend who has been called to the 
realm of the Unseen. At such an hour, there is 
no need for encomium or panegyric, for the life 
which has been lived for twenty years amongst 
us speaks more eloquently than any words which 
one might utter. 

Mr. Wardwell was a man of simplicity, without 
show or ostentation, and these obsequies should 
be in harmony with his simple ways. Yet it is 
the privilege of all who knew him that some one 
should speak for all of the good will felt toward 
him, and the honor in which his memory will 
be held. 

Mr. Wardwell was an utterly sincere and hon- 
est man. There was no sham about him, no exter- 
nal self that concealed a different inner self; he 
was genuine through and through. It is always 
refreshing to meet such a person. It deepens our 
confidence in humanity; it makes easier a faith 
in immortality; it increases our trust in God. 



Far more important than following the rubrics 
or giving intellectual assent to various formuli of 
religious belief is the living of a good, clean, 
upright, noble life. We attest our appreciation of 
a man who in every personal and business rela- 
tion revealed such a life. We might say of him 
what Hallock said on the death of Joseph Rod- 
man Drake: "None knew him but to love him, 
nor named him but to praise." 



WARDWELL, Linda Bell (Mrs. F. S.), 

Noted Musician, Authoress. 

Musical circles throughout the country 
have known Mrs. Wardwell for many 
years in concert and church work, and es- 
pecially in the popularizing of musical 
study. She has written extensively on 
musical subjects in the outlining of 
courses of study as well as a work on 
American composers, and all of her vol- 
umes have had large sale and wide dis- 
tribution. This she has accomplished, 
gaining a national reputation in the doing, 
while active in civic and social life, and 
while presiding over the home of her hus- 
band and son, a circumstance receiving 
more than passing notice even in an age 
when woman's sphere of activity is con- 
stantly broadening. Mrs. Wardwell is a 
musician of talent, with a gift of impart- 
ing her knowledge and ability, both by the 
spoken and written word, that amounts 
to genius. 

Mrs. Wardwell is a daughter of John 
W. and Hannah Ann (Wait) Free. John 
W. Free was born in Akron, Ohio, about 
1830, and died in Providence, Rhode Is- 
land, in 1919. He was the inventor of a 
threshing machine, and dealt extensively 
in many States, including New Hamp- 
shire, where he engaged in lengthy litiga- 
tion to recover his possessions of the 
Dixville Notch, Colbrook. For a time he 
was resident of Richmond, Indiana, 
moving thence to Chicago, Illinois. He 
was twice married, his first wife's death 



Conn-8— 15 



225 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



occurring about i860, and their three 
children all dying young. He married 
(second) in La Porte, Indiana, Hannah 
Ann Wait, who died in St. Paul, Minne- 
sota, in 1886, and their only child was 
Mrs. Wardwell.' 

Maternally Mrs. Wardwell is de- 
scended from an ancient and distin- 
guished English family, that of Wait. 
When surnames were generally intro- 
duced into England in the eleventh cen- 
tury, those who held an office in most 
cases added its designation to their Chris- 
tian names, thus: Richard, the minstrel- 
watchman, who was known as Richard le 
(the) Wayte, afterward contracted to 
Richard Wayte. The name has since 
been spelled Wayte, Wayt, Wayght, 
Waight, Wait, Waitt, Wate, Weight, 
Waiet, etc. In A. D. 1075, William the 
Conqueror gave the earldom, city and 
castle of Norwich in England to "Ralf 
de Waiet" (son of "Ralf," an Englishman, 
by a Welsh woman), who married Emma, 
sister to Roger, Earl of Hereford, cousin 
of the Conqueror, etc. The records show 
that Ricardus le Wayte, of County War- 
wick, in 131 5 was Escheator of the coun- 
ties of Wilts, Oxford, Berkshire, Bedford, 
and Bucks. Like many of the ancient 
families of Britain, this one had its coat- 
of-arms down to the middle of the sev- 
enteenth century. 

Arms — Argent, a chevron between three bugle 
horns, stringed, sable, garnished or. 

Crest — A bugle horn stringed, garnished or. 

Motto — Pro oris et focis. (For our homes and 
our altars). 

When Charles II. ascended the throne 
in 1660, those who were instrumental in 
putting his father to death were brought 
to the scaffold (except John Dixwell, Wil- 
liam Goffe and Edward Whalley, who fled 
to America), and Thomas Wayte being 
one of that number. 

English records mention these Waits 



of distinction: Thomas Waite, M. P., for 
Rutlandshire, one of the judges who sat 
upon the trial of and passed sentence 
upon the unfortunate Charles I. ; Sir 
Nicholas Waite, Knight of Chertsey in 
Surrey ; and Sir Thomas Wait. Receiver- 
General in the reign of King James I. 

The American founders of the family 
were Richard, John, and Thomas Wait, 
early settlers in New England, and heads 
of numerous lines. Mrs. Wardwell is a 
granddaughter of Josiah Wait, born in 
Alstead, New Hampshire, January 13, 
1786, and Martha Ann (Graham) Wait, 
born March 2, 1790. Josiah Wait was a 
son of Thomas Wait, and was a native of 
Alstead, New Hampshire, early in life 
moving to Ovid, New York, thence to 
York, New York, and subsequently to 
Perry, Lake county, Ohio, probably the 
birthplace of Hannah Ann Wait. Issue 
of Josiah and Martha Ann (Graham) 
Wait: 1. Jonathan, born November 22, 
1811, died in 1893; spent most of his life 
in Sturgis, Michigan ; in 1850 was elected 
to the State Legislature, and in i860 to 
the State Senate, being reelected and 
serving for six years. 2. Ann Lakin, born 
February 24, 1814, died August 30, 1839. 
3. Arthur Graham, born April 4, 1816, 
died October 13, 1817. 4. Alonzo Davis, 
born June 8, 1818, died December 17, 
1819. 5. Oneon Anson, born March 14, 
1821. 6. Harriet Stebbins, born June 17, 
1823. 7. William Washington, born Oc- 
tober 14, 1825 ; settled in Excelsior, Min- 
nesota, on Lake Minnetonka. 8. Hugh 
Graham, born November 3, 1828. 9. 
Hannah Ann, born July 9, 1832, died in 
1886; married John W. Free. 

Linda Belle (Free) Wardwell was born 
in Richmond, Indiana, July 19, 1865. 
After attending the public schools of Chi- 
cago, she began her musical education in 
the Chicago Musical College, whence she 
graduated, and later obtained a teacher's 



226 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



certificate from the Petersilea Academy 
of Music, of Boston. Her vocal study has 
been under the eminent teachers of voice 
culture and interpretation in Chicago, 
Boston, St. Paul, and New York, and she 
has been under the instruction of such 
noted musicians as Dr. John C. Griggs, 
of Vassar College, Dudley Buck, the com- 
poser, Francis Fisher Powers, Mrs. Carl 
Alves, and Oscar Saenger. During her 
music school study she was under the 
teaching of Dr. Florence Ziegfield, of the 
Chicago Musical College, and Carlyle Pe- 
tersilea, in piano. She held the highest 
rank in the harmony class of Albert Ruff, 
in Chicago, studied counterpoint and 
fugue with the eminent Charles L. Capen, 
of Boston, and had Mr. Soebeck, of Chi- 
cago, as her teacher in composition. 

Mrs. Wardwell's musical career, in per- 
formance, as teacher, and in a broader 
field of musical education, has been a 
record of great usefulness, and she has 
gained high reputation in leading musical 
circles. She has taught piano in St. Paul, 
Minnesota, and in Des Moines, Iowa, 
Music School, and taught singing in Du- 
luth, Minnesota, the Danbury Music 
School, and privately in New York City 
and in Stamford, Connecticut. For two 
years she was soprano soloist in a Metho- 
dist church of St. Paul, Minnesota, soloist 
and choir director of the Congregational 
church of Danbury, Connecticut, for five 
years, and soloist and choir director of the 
Congregational church of Stamford for 
seven years. 

For twenty-two years Mrs. Wardwell 
was chairman of the Plan Study Depart- 
ment of the National Federation of Musi- 
cal Clubs, and was the second chairman 
of music of the General Federation of 
Women's Clubs. She is the author of a 
set of twenty books on musical history 
for clubs, teachers, and students, some of 
which have reached the seventh edition, 



a circumstance that in itself demonstrates 
the need they have met. 

Mrs. Wardwell is the founder of the 
Schubert Study Club, of which she is hon- 
orary president, and with Mrs. E. J. Tup- 
per is the founder of the Stamford 
Women's Club, of which she is still a 
member. She is a member of the Bridge- 
port Musical Club, and the National Fed- 
eration of Musical Clubs. The plan of 
study on musical history that she has 
prepared is a comprehensive course, treat- 
ing of the music of the different countries 
and conveying a general knowledge of 
music from early times to the present day. 
It is endorsed by many prominent musi- 
cians and the leading music journals, and 
has become the basis of the work of thou- 
sands of clubs in the United States. Her 
works include: (i) General View of Mu- 
sic — Outline and Musical Programs. 
Topics: Piano, Voice, Violin, Orchestra, 
Harmony, Musical Form, Opera, Oratorio 
and Bibliography. General Views of Mu- 
sic. Fifteen page chapter on the Develop- 
ment of the Opera. (2) Topics on 
History of Music, with Musical Pro- 
grams. By Mary G. French. (3) Na- 
tionalities in Music — Outlines and 
Musical Programs — Italy, France, Eng- 
land, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Japan. 
Nationalities in Music. Combination 
Program — History, Art Literature and 
Music of. Italy — To be used with Chapter 
on Italian Music in Nationalities. Read- 
ing List prepared by Mrs. Thomas G. 
Winter. (4) German Music — Book I — 
To Schubert. (5) German Music — Book 
II — From Schubert to 1915, including 
Wagner and his Operas. (6) Russian 
Music — Outline and Musical Programs. 
Russian Music. (7) American Music — 
Autobiographical Sketches. Programs 
arranged by the Composers. 1920 — Third 
Edition, with portraits. (8) American 
Music — Colonial Period, Indian and Ne- 



227 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



gro Music. By Arthur Farwell. Ques- 
tions and Answers. (9) Music of the 
Border Countries — In MS. Outline and 
Musical Programs. With Germany as 
the center. Switzerland, The Nether- 
lands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Fin- 
land, Poland, Bohemia, and Hungary. 
(10) Seventeen Programs of Modern Mu- 
sic — Four French, Four German, Five 
Scandinavian and Four Russian. Topics 
for Papers on each Program. (11) Opera 
Outline and Programs. Mignon, Mme. 
Butterfly and Shanewis, with reading of 
the Libretto, Tableaux and musical ex- 
cerpts. (12) A Study of the Literary 
Works of the Great Tone Poets — Ques- 
tions and page in Reference Book. Mo- 
zart's, Weber's, and Mendelssohn's Let- 
ters; Schumann's "Music and Musicians," 
etc. (13) List of Subjects for Musical 
Club Programs — List of Names for Clubs. 

(14) Opera Stories. Henry L. Mason. 

(15) Folk Music. 

Mrs. Wardwell attends the Congrega- 
tional church of Stamford, Connecticut. 
In political sympathy she is a Republican. 
She is active socially and interested in all 
community affairs, although her music 
and her home claim most of her time and 
attention. 



BARNES, Frank Haslehurst, 

Physician, Hospital Official. 

The importance of heredity in breeding 
plants and animals has long been recog- 
nized ; but the propogation of mankind 
still continues in the old, unscientific, hap- 
hazard way. In view of this fact, the 
study of the lives and antecedents of suc- 
cessful men and women is especially in- 
teresting, and the results of such study 
show that nature works always consis- 
tently with her own laws. Men do not 
gather grapes of thorns, nor figs of this- 
tles; and men and women of achievement 



are the fruition of generations of ances- 
tors who cultivated those fundamental 
virtues and qualities which are the basis 
of real success. Nowhere is this more ex- 
plified than among those families whose 
founders were the pioneers of the New 
World. Legion is the number of their de- 
scendants who have won leading places in 
every period and phase of our national 
life. They dominate the professions, the 
industries, commerce, finance , and the 
politics of the present day. Dr. F. H. 
Barnes in his own career illustrates the 
truth of these observations. Starting life 
with the heritage of a splendid physical 
and mental endowment, he has added lus- 
tre to an honored family name. Indefat- 
igable in his industry, giving himself 
sincerely and unreservedly to the accom- 
plishment of every task undertaken, open 
and frank in all his dealings, shirking no 
opportunity to perform public service, and 
unmindful of personal sacrifice, withal, he 
has won for himself a high place in the 
esteem of his fellow-citizens and recog- 
nition as a leader in his profession. 

Early in the seventeenth century there 
were two cousins living in Poughkeepsie, 
New York, in the same neighborhood ; one 
of them, William Bornshe Van Ness, born 
in 1738, married Catherine Storm. To dis- 
tinguish the cousins, one was spoken of as 
William Bornshe, the latter being the 
Dutch equivalent of Barnes, and after a 
time the Van Ness was dropped, and Wil- 
liam Bornshe Van Ness became known as 
William Bornshe, and later as William 
Barnes. In those days people did not 
value family names as they do now. That 
line of the Van Ness family has since been 
known as Barnes. 

Three brothers of the name of Van 
Ness came from Holland at an early day 
in Colonial history and settled on Long 
Island, later separating, one going north. 
There was a Garret Van Ness prominent 



228 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



in Albany late in the seventeenth cen- 
tury, and early in the eighteenth cen- 
tury. The ancestor of Dr. Barnes settled 
on a farm (then a wilderness) in Dutchess 
county, and as late as 1897 that farm, hav- 
ing been continuously in the family, was 
owned by a descendant, David T. Barnes. 

According to Professor Jonathan Pear- 
son, the name Van Ness was probably de- 
rived from Inverness, Scotland. He says : 
"The word ness, meaning promotory or 
head land, occurs all along the east coast 
of Great Britain, especially in Scotland. 
* * * Holland traded extensively through 
the seaport town, Inverness, with the 
highlands and the Glen country along 
Loch Ness. Scotchmen, escaping from 
the strife and sterility of their own coun- 
try to Holland, readily found ships there 
to convey them to the Dutch colonies, and 
they were known as from the Ness or 
'Van Ness'." 

Willam Barnes (or Borntje Van Ess or 
Ness), was born March 5, 1738, and died 
August 23, 1807. About 1766 he removed 
with his family to Poughkeepsie, New 
York, and there lived until his death. He 
married, September 21, 1759, at the Pres- 
byterian church, Randolph Precinct, 
Catherine Storm, born February 25, 1735, 
died March 7, 1812. She was a descend- 
ant of Dirck Storm, the American settler 
from Holland, who married Maria Peters 
Monfort. Their son, Gregorus Storm 
married Engeltje van Dyke, at Tarry- 
town, New York, and they were the par- 
ents of Dirck Storm, who married Baren- 
icka (Veronica) Montross. Among their 
ten children was Catherine, who became 
the wife of William Barnes as above 
noted. 

Richard (Dedrick, Derrick or Dirck) 
Barnes, son of William and Catherine 
(Storm) Barnes, was born May 24, 1762, 
and died January 23, 1832, or 1834. In 
1785 he married Elizabeth Tappan, born 



September 27, 1763, died March 2, 1859, 
daughter of Teunis and Hester (Conck- 
lin) Tappen (Tappan). She is buried at 
Pleasant Valley, near Poughkeepsie. 
Richard Barnes and his family lived in 
Ghent, Kinderhook, and Spencertown, 
New York. 

Charles Barnes, son of Richard and 
Elizabeth (Tappan) Barnes, was born 
March 26, 1802, and died June 28, 1883. 
He was a farmer and also kept a hotel. 
In politics he was a Republican and in 
religious belief, a Congregationalist. 
Late in life Mr. Barnes removed to Nor- 
wich Corners, New York. He married 
(first) Maria Ludlow, of Long Island, 
born August 30, 1801, died October 31, 
1857. They were the parents of four 
sons. He married (second) Maria Frost, 
and they had no children by this mar- 
riage. 

Charles Tappan Barnes, son of Charles 
and Maria (Ludlow) Barnes, was born in 
Sauquoit, New York, September 7, 1836. 
He was educated at Whitestone Semi- 
nary, and subsequently taught school for 
several years. He then became principal 
of a school at Mohawk, New York, and 
was later superintendent of schools at 
Little Falls, New York, where he re- 
mained for several years. Mr. Barnes 
was particularly gifted for his work of 
instructing the youth of the country, and 
at the time Andrew S. Draper was su- 
perintendent of Public Instruction in the 
State of New York, he selected Mr. 
Barnes to conduct the teacher's institute 
in that State, and Mr. Barnes continued 
in this line of work until his retirement 
from his profession several years ago. 
Mr. Barnes had always taken an interest 
in farming, and during odd times worked 
at this occupation. It has been said of 
him that "as a teacher, he sought not only 
to increase his pupil's store of knowledge, 
but he endeavored by precept and exam- 



229 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



pie to inspire the young with high ideals 
of morality, usefulness and patriotism." 

Mr. Barnes was a member of the New 
York State Faculty Teachers' Institute, 
and of the State Board Executive Teach- 
ers' Institute. 

A Republican in politics, Mr. Barnes 
has always been interested in local county 
affairs, and has served as a delegate in 
many conventions of his party. He has 
never sought to hold public office, and 
has always refused to be a candidate for 
such office. A man of splendid mental 
powers, a thoughtful student of books, 
nature and mankind, eminently practical 
in applying his conclusions in his every 
day relations, his sound judgment makes 
his opinion valued by a wide circle of 
friends who hold him in high esteem. 

Mr. Barnes married, at Millers Mills, 
New York, Flora Ann Johnson, born Jan- 
uary 21, 1844, daughter of Alfred and 
Flora E. (Taylor) Johnson. Her father, 
Alfred Johnson, was born April 20, 1813, 
at Columbia, New York, and died aged 
100 years. He married Flora E. Taylor, 
born May 31, 1817, in Litchfield, New 
York. The children of Mr. and Mrs. 
Barnes were: 1. Margaret Edith, born 
January 4, 1868, an instructor of music, 
at Summit, New Jersey. 2. Frank Hasle- 
hurst, receives extended mention below. 
3. Charles Alfred, born July 2, 1874; is 
assistant manager of the Cudahy Packing 
Company, at Brooklyn, New York. 4. 
Harold Ludlow, born March 22, 1884; is 
a physician, residing in Brooklyn, New 
York. 

Frank Haslehurst Barnes, eldest son of 
Charles Tappan and Flora Ann (John- 
son) Barnes, was born June 17, 1872, at 
Mohawk, New York. He was educated 
in the public schools, at the Sauquoit 
High School and the Utica Free Acad- 
emy. Having decided upon a medical 
career, he then entered the New York 



Homoeopathic College from which he was 
graduated in 1896, with the degree of 
M. D. Previous to this time Dr. Barnes 
had read medicine under Dr. Aaron Os- 
borne of Utica, and had pursued special 
studies in chemistry and physics, under 
private tutors ; and under the preceptor- 
ship of Professor William Hart, he took 
up the study of the German language. 

In 1896 Dr. Barnes came to Stamford 
as assistant to Dr. J. J. Kindred, a spe- 
cialist in mental and nervous diseases. 
The following year a partnership was 
formed between Dr. Barnes and Dr. Kin- 
dred, and in 1898, two years after coming 
to Stamford, Dr. Barnes purchased the 
sanitarium. It is beautifully located, with 
an area of about fifty acres of well-kept 
grounds, requiring the services of be- 
tween thirty-five to forty people. There 
are six houses and cottages which accom- 
modate seventy-five patients, and these 
patients come from all parts of the United 
States, Canada, Cuba and Porto Rico. 

Dr. Barnes is Neurologist to the Stam- 
ford Hospital ; Associate Professor in 
Mental and Nervous Diseases at the New 
York Post-Graduate Hospital. He takes 
a very active interest in many matters 
outside of his own personal business in- 
terests. He is a member of the Fairfield 
County Medical Society, and was at one 
time its president, also acting counsellor 
for that society ; is a member of the Amer- 
ican Medical Association ; was chairman 
of the committee for a State Farm for 
Inebriates. 

During the World War Dr. Barnes en- 
tered into many of the home activities, 
among them being: Chairman of Stam- 
ford Branch of Fairfield County Farm 
Bureau ; member of the Medical Advisory 
Draft Board ; was a captain of a team 
in every Liberty Loan Drive, his team 
being assigned to solicit physicians, 
school teachers, and the rural districts of 



230 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Stamford. Dr. Barnes is now a member 
of the board of directors of the Young 
Men's Christian Association, and the 
Stamford Chamber of Commerce, of 
which he is also ex-president ; member of 
Republican Town Committee, School 
Committee, Medical Association of the 
Greater City of New York, and Society 
of Medical Jurisprudence of New York 
City. His fraternal affiliations are with 
the Masonic body; he is a member of 
Union Lodge, No. 5, Ancient Free and 
Accepted Masons; and is also a member 
of Puritan Lodge, No. 14, Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows. 

Dr. Barnes's clubs are: Suburban, 
Woodway Golf, Stamford Yacht and the 
Connecticut Automobile Association ; 
also Transportation Club of New York 
City. 

Dr. Barnes married, September 22, 
1897, at Stamford, Ella Betts Jerman, 
born November 12, 1874, daughter of 
Chauncey Lockwood and Ann Ruth 
(Betts) Jerman. Mrs. Barnes is a mem- 
ber of the Stamford Chapter, Daughters 
of the American Revolution, being a di- 
rect descendant of Captain Betts ; she is 
also a member of the Stamford Women's 
Club and of the Schubert Club, as well 
as taking an active interest in many char- 
itable organizations. 

(The Tappen-Tappan Line). 

Otto Tappen, born about 1500, was 
Lord of Tappenberg and Tappen Camp, 
as was the next in line, Jurger Tappen, 
born about 1530. Otto Tappen, his son, 
was born in 1566, and was the last Lord 
of Tappenberg and Tappen Camp. He 
was the father of Anthony Tappen, who 
was born in 1598, and who was a veteran 
of the Thirty Year War, and father of the 
New England settler. 

Jurgen (Teunicen) Tappen, glass 
maker, the immigrant ancestor of the 



Tappan and Tappen family in New York, 
was born in Holland about 1600, and died 
in 1677, at Albany, New York. When he 
came to this country, about 1630, he must 
have brought considerable property with 
him from the Old World as he appears to 
have been in easy circumstances, if not 
affluence, from the first. He was popular 
with the people and on terms of warm 
friendship with the patroons and leading 
merchants. A devout member of the 
Dutch church, during the inclement win- 
ters he devoted several hours each week 
to visiting and caring for the sick poor. 
The same kindly spirit actuated him in 
his dealings with the Indians, who called 
him the "Good Chief." He had served in 
the Thirty Year War with his father and 
was given a grant of land at the close of 
the war in New Netherlands. Tradition 
is that this grant was for a thousand acres 
of river front (Hudson), extending as far 
back as the setting sun. As early as 
1662, Jurgen Tappen was residing at Fort 
Orange. His wife was a daughter of 
Wybrecht Jacobes. 

Theunis Tappen, son of Jurgen and 

(Jacobes) Tappen, was born after 

1661, at Albany, and died in 1726. He 
was married in Kingston, October 10, 
1695, by Domine Nucella, to Sarah Schep- 
moes. His name is found in the list of 
militia officers from Dutchess county, 
New York, in 1700, with rank of en- 
sign. In his will, which was proved 
March 6, 1726-27, six children are men- 
tioned. 

Johannes Tappen, their son, was bap- 
tized at Kingston, August 29, 1703, and 
married, September 22, 1726, Tjaatjen 
Du Bois. 

Teunis Tappen or Tappan, their son, 
was baptized at Kingston, November 3, 
1728. When young, he removed to 
Poughkeepsie, New York, and there died 
in 1809. He married there, February 9, 



231 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



1749, Hester Concklin, born January 8, 
1730, died January 19, 1812, daughter of 
John Concklin. They were the parents 
of Elizabeth Tappan, who married Rich- 
ard Barnes (q. v.). 

(The Concklin Line). 

John Concklin, of Southold, New York, 
married there, December 2, 1653, Sara 
Solomon. 

Deliverance (Lawrence) Concklin, their 
son, appears on the records of the Dutch 
church at Tarrytown (which is the 
Sleepy Hollow church made famous by 
Washington Irving), as early as 1700, 
being variously spelled as Levorens, De- 
lefferens, Kankle and Cancely. He was 
deacon of the church in 1718, 1724, and 
1735. The date of his death is not known. 
It is supposed he descended from John 
Concklin, who was of Southold, Long 
Island, in 1650, and that the name Deliv- 
erance was a Dutch corruption of Law- 
rence. The Christian name of his wife 
was Engeltje (Angelica) and they were 
the parents of John, of further mention. 

John Concklin, son of Deliverance and 
Engeltje Concklin, married, March 22, 
1723-24, Annatje Storm, daughter of 
David Storm, born in Holland, and grand- 
daughter of Dirck Storm, the American 
settler. In 1728-29, John Concklin, and 
his wife, removed to Poughkeepsie, and 
there lived. At one time, John Concklin 
held a captain's commission in the 
Dutchess county militia, in which capac- 
ity in September, 1755, he led a detach- 
ment to Albany, during an alarm when 
General Johnson was attacked at Lake 
George, and also in March, 1757, he 
marched to the relief of Fort William 
Henry, when it was attacked by the 
enemy. He was a signer of the Patriotic 
Articles of Association in Poughkeepsie, 
Dutchess county, in July, 1775. He died 
in 1785. John Concklin was the father of 



Hester Concklin, who became the wife 
of Teunis Tappen or Tappan, as noted 
above. 



STANTON, Archie Byron, 

Banker. 

There have been many prominent men 
bearing the name of Stanton in the annals 
of Connecticut and throughout New Eng- 
land, and members of this family have 
succeeded in adding more honor to a 
name which the founder of the family in 
America had early honored. Thomas 
Stanton, a scion of a house of ancient 
English origin, was a brave soldier, a just 
magistrate, and a wise interpreter be- 
tween the Red race and the White race. 
His record forms a part of the early his- 
tory of New England, and one historian 
has said of him : 

Never perhaps did the acquisition of a barbar- 
ous language give to a man such immediate, wide- 
spread and lasting importance. From the year 
1636, when he was Winthrop's interpreter with 
the Nahantic sachem, to 1670, when Uncas visited 
him with a train of warriors and captains to get 
him to write his will, his name is connected with 
almost every Indian transaction on record. 

(I) Thomas Stanton appears on record 
in Boston as early as 1636, when he served 
as magistrate and as Indian interpreter 
for Governor Winthrop. During the Pe- 
quot War, he rendered valuable assist- 
ance in the same capacity, and special 
mention is made of his bravery in the 
battle of Fairfield Swamp in which he 
nearly lost his life. At the close of the 
war, it is probable that he returned to 
Boston, as he appears as one of the mag- 
istrates in the trial of John Wainwright 
which took place in October, 1637. In 
1639 Thomas Stanton was settled in 
Hartford, Connecticut, where he was 
appointed official interpreter for the Gen- 
eral Court. It is worthy of note that 



232 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



throughout his life he served as a medium 
of communication on many important oc- 
casions between the English and the In- 
dians. He was widely known as an In- 
dian trader, and his operations covered a 
large territory. About 165 1 Thomas 
Stanton removed to Pequot, and several 
years later, seven to be exact, took up 
his residence in Stonington. He settled 
at what was then known as Wequete- 
quock Cove, then considered a part of 
Suffolk county, Massachusetts ; he was 
the third settler and was appointed one 
of the managers. He was granted sev- 
eral tracts of land, and was elected a 
deputy magistrate by the General Court. 
In 1664 Thomas Stanton was a commis- 
sioner to try small cases, and in 1666 was 
overseer-general of the Coasatuck In- 
dians, a commissioner of appeal in Indian 
affairs, and was successively reelected 
commissioner during the remainder of his 
life. In 1666 he was a member of the 
General Assembly and was regularly re- 
elected until 1674. During King Philip's 
War, Thomas Stanton took an active part, 
his sons also participating. He aided in 
founding the church in Stonington, and 
his name stands first on its roll of mem- 
bership. 

Thomas Stanton married Ann Lord, 
daughter of Dr. Thomas and Dorothy 
Lord, born in England in 162 1. Dr. Lord 
was the first physician licensed by the 
General Court to practice in Connecticut. 
The site of the original residence of 
Thomas Stanton in Hartford has been 
occupied by the Jewell Belt Manufactur- 
ing Company for many years. 

(II) John Stanton, son of the immi- 
grant, Thomas Stanton, and his wife, Ann 
(Lord) Stanton, was born in Hartford, 
Connecticut, in 1641. He was the first 
recorder of Southerton (now Stoning- 
ton) ; he was commissioned captain, Feb- 
ruary 18, 1675, of one of the four Con- 



necticut regiments in King Philip's War. 
Captain Stanton married, in 1664, Han- 
nah Thompson. His death occurred Oc- 
tober 31, 1713. 

(III) John (2) Stanton, son of John 

(1) and Hannah (Thompson) Stanton, 
was born May 22, 1665. He received 
lands from his father in Preston, and lived 
on them. The Christian name of his wife 
was Mary. 

(IV) Daniel Stanton, son of John 

(2) and Mary Stanton, was born in 
Preston, Connecticut, June 8, 1708. He 
married, in 1737, Dinah (according to one 
authority Stark, and to another Galusha) ; 
she died in 1754. 

(V) Elisha Stanton, son of Daniel and 
Dinah Stanton, was born in October, 
1752, and died in Norwich, Massachu- 
setts, February 13, 1813. Elisha Stanton 
was settled in Vermont before the Revo- 
lution, and subsequently went to Massa- 
chusetts. In 1781 he married Anna Rust, 
daughter of Gershom and Mary (Cooley) 
Rust, of Hampden county, Massachu- 
setts, born November 1, 1762, in Chester, 
died in Norwich, June 6, 1808. 

(VI) John Warren Stanton, son of 
Elisha and Anna (Rust) Stanton, was 
born September 13, 1782, in Hampshire 
county, Massachusetts, and died Novem- 
ber 13, 1858. He lived in Worthington 
and Chesterfield, Massachusetts ; and El- 
licott, New York. On December 13, 1814, 
he married Sally Brewster, daughter of 
Squire Jonathan (4) Brewster, of Worth- 
ington, and she died in August, 1840 (see 
Brewster VIII). 

(VII) Charles Brewster Stanton, son 
of John Warren and Sally (Brewster) 
.Stanton, was born in Cattaraugus county, 
New York, town of Ellicottville, August 
15, 1836. As a young man he went to 
Kanawha county, West Virginia, with his 
brothers and established a factory for the 
manufacture of coal oil from cannel coal. 



233 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



That was before the day when crude oil 
refining had begun. Mr. Stanton was 
engaged in this business before the Civil 
War broke out and continued in it until 
modern methods of refining crude petro- 
leum made the older method unprofit- 
able. Shortly after the war, Mr. Stanton 
went West to Franklin county, Kansas. 
He lived in Centropolis, and later in Ot- 
tawa. Here he engaged in the jewelry 
business and continued in that line dur- 
ing the remainder of his active life. 

In politics, Mr. Stanton was a Repub- 
lican and was active in local affairs. He 
was not an office seeker, but often served 
as a delegate to conventions. He also 
took an active part in the early Good 
Templars movement. 

Mr. Stanton married, March 26, 1863, 
Orient Adaline Stanton, born February 
15, 1837, in Great Valley, New York, 
daughter of Gershom Rust and Julia An- 
toinette (McClure) Stanton. Mrs. Orient 
A. Stanton descended from Captain 
Thomas Stanton through Elisha Stan- 
ton, father of John Warren Stanton, pre- 
viously mentioned. Her father, Gershom 
Rust Stanton, was a brother of the latter, 
and was born June 1, 1802. in Norwich, 
Massachusetts. In the fall of 1817 he 
came from the latter State to Nunda, New 
York. He married, September 30, 1827, 
in Franklinville, New York, Julia Antoin- 
ette McClure. Children of Mr. and Mrs. 
Stanton : Archie Byron, of whom fur- 
ther; Annie, married Clarence H. Mar- 
tin, and resides in Dade City, Florida ; 
Julia, married William Carey, and resides 
in St. John. Kansas. 

(VIII) Archie B. Stanton, son of 
Charles Brewster and Orient Adaline 
(Stanton) Stanton, was born in Kanawha 
county, West Virginia, and was educated 
in the public schools at Centropolis and 
at the Ottawa (Kansas) College. In the 
latter place Mr. Stanton was engaged in 



the mortgage and loan business for about 
three years, after which he went to El 
Paso, Texas, where he engaged in busi- 
ness as a fruit commission merchant. 
This occupied his time for almost the 
same period. An opportunity came to 
enter the employ of Underwood & Under- 
wood, the well known dealers in photo- 
graphs, and in their interests he went to 
Spain where he was in Madrid for about 
two years and in Bilbao the next two 
years. Leaving Spain just before the 
Spanish-American War, Mr. Stanton en- 
tered the London office of the company, 
and upon his return to New York was 
associated with the firm there until 191 1. 
In March, 1914, on the organization of 
The Putnam Trust Company, Mr. Stan- 
ton entered the company's employ, be- 
coming secretary and a director of the 
company in January, 1919. Mr. Stanton 
takes an active interest in the affairs of 
his home city, and with his family is a 
member of the Congregational church in 
Sound Beach. He is chairman of the so- 
ciety's committee of that church. 

Mr. Stanton married Ada Leach, daugh- 
ter of John and Hester (Theis) Leach, of 
Brooklyn, New York. Their children 
are : Theodore Brewster. Roland Hughes, 
Hubert Charles, and Donald Everett. 

(The Brewster Line). 

(I) Elder William Brewster, the an- 
cestor of Mrs. Sally (Brewster) Stanton, 
was born about 1560. For about twenty- 
years he lived in Scrooby where he held 
the office of post. There he occupied the 
manor house where gathered the little 
band that constituted the Plymouth Pil- 
grims. Elder Brewster was the organizer 
and head of the Pilgrims, and until his 
death, April 16, 1644, he was their ac- 
knowledged leader. His wife was Mary 
Brewster. 

(II) Jonathan Brewster, son of Elder 

34 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



William and Mary Brewster, was born 
in Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England, 
August 12, 1593. He came to America in 
the ship "Fortune" in 1621. On April 10, 
1624, Jonathan Brewster married Lucre- 
tia Oldham, of Darby, and she died 
March 4, 1678-79. In 1630 he lived in 
Duxbury, where he served as deputy sev- 
eral terms. In 1649 ne removed to New 
London and settled in that part which 
was later Norwich ; there he served as 
deputy also. He died August 7, 1659. 

(III) Benjamin Brewster, son of Jon- 
athan and Lucretia (Oldham) Brewster, 
was born October 17, 1633, an ^ died July 
14, 1710. He settled on the homestead of 
his father at Brewster's Neck, and was 
one of the most prominent men of the 
community. Benjamin Brewster was lieu- 
tenant of the New London Troop and 
captain of the Norwich Military Com- 
pany. He married, February 28, 1660, 
Ann Dart. 

(IV) Captain Daniel Brewster, son of 
Benjamin and Ann (Dart) Brewster, was 
born March 1, 1666, and died May 7, 
1735. He lived in Preston, Connecticut, 
and was justice of the peace of New Lon- 
don county and also served as represen- 
tative. In 1716 he was commissioned 
lieutenant of the Preston Military Com- 
pany and subsequently was captain of 
this company. Captain Brewster was a 
deacon of the first church in Preston. He 
married (first) December 23, 1686, Han- 
nah Gager, daughter of John and Eliza 
Gager, of Norwich, born February, 1666, 
and died September 25, 1727. 

(V) Jonathan (2) Brewster, son of 
Captain Daniel and Hannah (Gager) 
Brewster, was born June 6, 1705. He 
married, November 9, 1725-26, Mary Par- 
ish. 

(VI) Jonathan (3) Brewster, son of 
Jonathan (2) and Mary (Parish) Brew- 
ster, was born June 8, 1734, and died in 



Worthington, Massachusetts, April 13, 
1800. He removed from Preston to 
Worthington in 1777, and was selectman, 
representative and deacon. On August 
28, 1755, Deacon Brewster married, in 
Preston, Zipporah Smith, daughter of 
Ephraim and Hannah (Witter) Smith, of 
Stonington, born in Preston, July 10, 
1735, died in Worthington, January 19, 

1794- 

(VII) Squire Jonathan (4) Brewster, 
son of Deacon Jonathan (3) and Zipporah 
(Smith) Brewster, was born November 
14, 1759, and died February 16, 1841. He 
was representative seven times, and was 
a member of the Board of Selectman. A 
writer said of him : "He was loved by 
the poor for his kindness and respected by 
the rich for his integrity." Squire Brew- 
ster married Lois Marsh, daughter of Jo- 
seph Marsh, of Worthington, where she 
died September 24, 1810. 

(VIII) Sally Brewster, daughter of 
Squire Jonathan (4) and Lois (Marsh) 
Brewster, was born December 1, 1788, 
and died in August, 1840, in Ellicottville, 
New York. She became the wife of John 
Warren Stanton (see Stanton VI). 



STEARNS, Thomas Calhoun, 

Cereal Manufacturer. 

Five hundred years or more ago when 
the population of England had become 
sufficiently dense to make surnames nec- 
essary, some Englishmen assumed the 
name of Sterne. The name is derived 
from the sign of the Sterne, or Starling 
(the symbol of the industry), displayed in 
front of an ancestor's place of business. 
In England the name was spelled Sterne 
for many years. There were three immi- 
grants of this name, Isaac, Charles and 
Nathaniel, and they left numerous de- 
scendants throughout the country. These 
descendants have been men of promi- 



235 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



nence in all walks of life and have suc- 
ceeded in adding further honor to the 
name. 

(I) The immigrant ancestor of the 
family, Isaac (Sterne) Stearns, was born 
in England, and died June 19, 1671. He 
sailed from Yarmouth, England, April 
12, 1630, in the "Arabella," Governor 
Winthrop's company, and arrived on the 
Massachusetts coast in company with Sir 
Richard Saltonstall and Edward Garfield, 
ancestor of the martyred president. They 
settled first in Salem, and thence moved 
to Charlestown, and later were among 
the first settlers of Watertown. Isaac 
Stearns was admitted a freeman, May 18, 
163 1, and was selectman for several years. 
He was accompanied to New England by 
his wife, Mary (Barker) (Sterne) Stearns, 
whom he married in 1622 ; she was a 
daughter of John and Margaret Barker, 
of Stoke, Nayland, Suffolk county, Eng- 
land. Mrs. Mary (Barker) (Sterne) 
Stearns died April 2, 1677. 

(II) Isaac (2) Stearns, son of Isaac 
(1) and Mary (Barker) (Sterne) Stearns, 
was born January 6, 1633. and died Au- 
gust 29, 1676. He was admitted freeman 
in 1665. He settled in Cambridge Farms 
in what is now the town of Lexington, 
Massachusetts. He married, June 24, 
1660, Sarah Beers, daughter of Captain 
Richard and Elizabeth Beers, of Water- 
town. Captain Beers was an original pro- 
prietor, and a captain in King Philip's 
War. He was slain in battle by the In- 
dians, September 4, 1675, in Northfield, 
Massachusetts. 

(III) Samuel Stearns, son of Isaac (2) 
and Sarah (Beers) Stearns, was born 
January II, 1667-68, in Lexington, Massa- 
chusetts, and died November 19, 1721, 
from an accident said to have been caused 
by a fall from a tree. He was for many 
years tithingman in Lexington and also 
served as assessor. 



(IV) Samuel (2) Stearns, son of Sam- 
uel (1) Stearns, was born March 7, 1702, 
in Lexington, Massachusetts, and died in 
Plollis, New Hampshire, in 1787. He 
married, January 1, 1731 (by Joseph Wil- 
der) Keziah Robbins, of Littleton, Mas- 
sachusetts. 

(V) Ebenezer Stearns, son of Samuel 
(2) and Keziah (Robbins) Stearns, was 
born in Hollis, New Hampshire, Decem- 
ber 25, 1744, and died in Monkton, Ver- 
mont, in 1816. He married, June 29, 
1773, Rachel Ames, of Hollis, and the fol- 
lowing year they settled in Monkton, 
Vermont. At the outbreak of the Revo- 
lutionary War, John Bishop and several 
sons, and Ebenezer Stearns, were cap- 
tured by the Tories and Indians and taken 
to Canada and the settlement of Monk- 
ton was thus broken up until after the 
war. Ebenezer Stearns owned and op- 
erated the first grist mill in the records of 
the place. Mrs. Rachel Stearns died in 
1841. 

(VI) Nathan Stearns, son of Ebenezer 
and Rachel (Ames) Stearns, was born in 
Monkton, Vermont, March 19, 1788. In 
1817 he removed from there with his wife 
and settled in Perrysville, Ashland county, 
Ohio. He followed the trade of shoe- 
maker during his lifetime. On July 16, 
1809, Nathan Stearns married Mary 
Morehouse, of Grand Isle, Vermont. She 
was born January 28, 1791, and died in 
1 871. 

(VII) Milo Eloftus Stearns, son of Na- 
than and Mary (Morehouse) Stearns, 
was born in Perrysville, Ohio, October 
4, 1830, and died April 15, 1896. He was 
educated in the academy in Hayesville, 
Ohio, and in Vermillion Institute. Sub- 
sequently he taught school, and in the 
meantime studied law, although he never 
took up the practice of that profession. 
In 1857 he was called to Bellville, Ohio, 
to become principal of the High School 



236 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



and he remained in this position until 
1866. In 1864 Mr. Stearns enlisted in 
Company D, 163rd Regiment, Ohio Vol- 
unteers; he went in as a lieutenant and 
held the commission of captain when he 
was mustered out the same year. In the 
spring of 1866 he went to Tipton, Mis- 
souri, where he purchased a farm and was 
engaged in grain farming there until 
1874. Another farm was then purchased 
nearer the heart of Tipton, as the first 
one had been some distance out into the 
country. A competent instructor in the 
schools was rare in the small towns in 
those days, and Mr. Stearns was often 
called upon to teach in the district 
schools, which he did nearly every win- 
ter. He was a natural student and an 
able educator. 

Mr. Stearns was one of the organizers 
of the Presbyterian church, of Tipton, and 
a leader in it from the beginning. He 
served as clerk of the session and in other 
offices. In 1876 he was prevailed upon 
to return to Bellville, where he taught a 
year, and the following two years taught 
in Nevada, Ohio. In 1879 he returned to 
the old farm in Tipton, the ownership of 
which he had retained, and after a few 
years became cashier of the Tipton Bank, 
a position which he filled until about 1894. 
In the latter year Mr. Stearns resigned 
from active business duties to enjoy a 
well-earned leisure. Mr. Stearns served 
as administrator of numerous estates and 
held other appointive positions. He was 
a staunch Republican, but not an aspirant 
for political honors. Fraternally he was 
a member of the Grand Army of the Re- 
public in Tipton, and of the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows in Bellville. 

Mr. Stearns married Mary Ann Cal- 
houn, daughter of Thomas Wilson Cal- 
houn, a cousin once removed of the fa- 
mous statesman, John C. Calhoun. Mrs. 



Stearns' father was born in the North of 
Ireland and came to America at the age 
of sixteen years. Mr. and Mrs. Stearns 
were the parents of five children, three 
of whom grew to maturity. They are : 
1. Thomas Calhoun, of whom further. 2. 
Mina Ellen, wife of Henry H. Bauer, of 
St. Louis, and the mother of Frederick, 
Laurence and Marie Bauer. 3. Laura 
Olena, wife of Arthur T. Adams, of Tip- 
ton, and mother of Olena, William, Laura, 
Edward, Thomas and Eleanor. 

(VIII) Thomas Calhoun Stearns, son 
of Milo Eloftus and Mary Ann (Cal- 
houn) Stearns, was born in Bellville, 
Ohio, January 28, i860. He was educated 
under his father's instruction. He at- 
tended the Vermillion Institute, and while 
pursuing his course of study held the 
position of instructor. After completing 
his preparatory studies, he attended 
Wooster University, Wooster, Ohio, and 
thence he went to Yale College, from 
which he was graduated in 1886 with the 
degree of B. A. Mr. Stearns accepted the 
position of principal of the Staples High 
School at Westport, Connecticut, the 
same year, going from there to New York 
City as an instructor in the Wilson & 
Kellogg School. At the same time he did 
post-graduate work in the New York Uni- 
versity in philosophy and education, and 
in 1896 received his M. A. degree from 
that institution. The following two years 
were spent in Germany, continuing his 
studies in philosophy and education, and 
the same year of his return he received his 
degree of Ph. D. from Yale College. Mr. 
Stearns then became an instructor in an- 
cient philosophy at his alma mater, where 
he remained until 1904, in which year he 
resigned to devote his time to his present 
business. 

The produce of the New England Cer- 
eal Company is prepared cereals, and one 



-0/ 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



of their notable products which has had a 
large sale is India Biscuit, composed 
largely of bran and recommended as a 
natural bowel-regulator. The other main 
products are breakfast foods ; these prod- 
ucts are marketed through jobbers all 
over the country. In 1910 the business 
was incorporated, having been established 
six years previously, and Dr. Stearns was 
made president. The product is manu- 
factured in a light, sanitary factory, and 
machinery enters largely into its manu- 
facture ; there are about twenty-five per- 
sons employed. Dr. Stearns is also presi- 
dent of the Heating & Plumbing Com- 
pany of Norwalk. He makes his home in 
Westport, where he has resided since 
1898. He is a Republican in politics, and 
was chairman of the Westport School 
Board for sixteen years. He is a mem- 
ber of Phi Beta Gamma, of Yale College. 
Dr. Stearns married, December 16, 
1891, Fannie Nash, daughter of Edward 
Hawks and Margaret Newkirk (Wil- 
liams) Nash, of Westport, born Novem- 
ber 15, 1870, died February 13, 1919. The 
Nash genealogy will be found in connec- 
tion with the sketch of Edward Colt 
Nash, on another page of this work. To 
Dr. and Mrs. Stearns were born six chil- 
dren, five of whom are now living. They 
are: 1. Harold Calhoun, born March 27, 
J 895 ; graduated from Pratt Institute in 
1916, and is now a chemist with the 
George H. Morrill Ink Company of Nor- 
wood, Massachusetts. 2. Frank Nash, 
born July II, 1899; ' s a chemist with the 
L. H. Armitage Varnish Company, of 
Newark, New Jersey. 3. Margaret, born 
March 20, 1901. 4. Mary, born August 
10, 1907. 5. Milo Edward, born June 29, 
191 1. Dr. Stearns with his family attend 
Christ Episcopal Church, Westport, and 
aid in its support. Mrs. Stearns also at- 
tended the same church. 



STRANG, James Suydam, 

Merchant. 

In the history of man's struggle for 
freedom no chapter is more thrilling than 
that which narrates the flight of the 
French Protestants from their native 
land, when in 1685 Louis XIV. revoked 
the Edict of Nantes. Since 1598 they 
had been in the enjoyment of religious 
freedom, but now, not only were they de- 
prived of the privilege to worship God 
according to the dictates of their con- 
science, but they were not permitted to 
emigrate to countries where such priv- 
ileges were accorded. Most rigid meas- 
ures were adopted to prevent their leav- 
ing the country, every avenue of escape 
being most closely guarded. However, 
thousands of these sturdy folk to whom 
adherence to principle was dearer than 
life itself, made their way to England, 
some coming thence to America. Among 
the latter was Daniel L'Estrange, the 
progenitor of the Strang family in this 
country. No element among our Colon- 
ial pioneers has contributed more than 
the French Huguenots to the sturdy char- 
acter of American manhood, or to the 
high ideals of American institutions and 
government. The meager facts now 
available relating to the descendants of 
Daniel L'Estrange in the line here under 
consideration show that in every crisis 
of the nation's history they have evinced 
the sturdiest patriotism, while in the less 
strenuous but not less exacting times of 
peace, judged by ethical standards, they 
have by precept and example, in indus- 
try, frugality, and upright citizenship, in 
private and in public life, contributed to 
the material and moral advancement of 
our country. 

Like all historic patronymics, the name 
Strang has been spelled in various ways. 



238 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



The original French form was L'Es- 
trange ; in America it became Streing, 
then Strange, Strang, and in a few cases 
was changed to Strong. 

The coat-of-arms of the family is : 

Arms — Gules, two lions passant, guardant, 
argent. 
Crest — A lion passant, guardant, or. 

(I) When the list of the residents of 
New Rochelle was made in 1698, Daniel 
D'Estrange's age was given as thirty- 
seven years. This would make the year 
of his birth 1661. He was a native of 
Orleans, France. According to the au- 
thor of "Colonial Days and Ways," Dan- 
iel L'Estrange was sent to an academy in 
Switzerland to study philosophy, and 
when he entered, July 29, 1672, his name 
was purposely misspelled as Streing, so 
that his father's persecutors might not 
learn where the young man had been 
sent. However, upon his return to 
France, he became a member of the 
Royal Guards and resumed the proper 
spelling of his name. When he was 
twenty-two, he entered upon a mercan- 
tile career, and about that time married 
Charlotte Hubert, daughter of Francis 
and Levina Hubert, of Paris. He formed 
a partnership with his wife's brother, 
Gabriel Hubert. According to the "Strang 
manuscript," written nearly a hundred 
years ago and published in a small book- 
let, L'Estrange and his partner were com- 
pelled to flee to London from the fury of 
their persecutors who confiscated their 
property. Mr. L'Estrange became a lieu- 
tenant in the Guards of King James II. 
The loss of their property placed Mrs. 
L'Estrange in very trying circumstances, 
and within a year she determined also to 
flee the country. The tradition regarding 
the method of her escape is thrilling ; but 
the family genealogist questions the ac- 
curacy of the story, owing to the fact that 



in her will, recorded in New York, Mrs. 
L'Estrange disposes of her wedding gar- 
ments, which it is hardly probable she 
was able to take with her when she fled 
to London. Dlaniel L'Estrange continued 
in the King's Guards until about 1688, 
when he sold his commission, the pro- 
ceeds enabling him and his wife to join a 
company of refugees bound for the New 
World. They landed in New York and 
soon proceeded to the present town of 
New Rochelle. There he engaged in 
farming and grazing, and for many years 
taught French and the classical languages 
to boys preparing for Yale or King's Col- 
lege (now Columbia University). After 
a few years he removed to Rye, New 
York, where he kept a store and tavern, 
and also engaged in farming. Later he 
became one of the patentees of the town 
of White Plains. He died in Rye, 
1706-07. He was a devout member of 
the Episcopal church. His wife was born 
in France, 1668, and died in Rye. The 
baptisms of their children are recorded 
in the church Du Saint Esprit, New York 
City, and there Mrs. L'Estrange is re- 
corded as Charlotte Le Mestre, which has 
given rise to the conjecture that at the 
time of her marriage to Daniel L'Estrange 
she was a widow. 

(II) Daniel (2) Strang, son of the im- 
migrants, was born in 1692, and died in 
1741. He became a resident of White 
Plains, settling on a farm acquired by 
his father as one of the patentees. He 
was industrious and thrifty, if we may 
judge by the amount of land of which he 
became possessed. He married Phebe 
Purdy, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth 
Purdy, of Rye Neck, New York. She 
died in 1761. Joseph Purdy, according to 
the records, was under age in 1661. He 
became a resident of Rye in 1670, and died 
October 29, 1709. He married Elizabeth 



239 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Ogden, daughter of John and Judith 
(Budd) Ogden. She died in 1742. He 
was the son of Francis Purdy (sometimes 
spelled "Pardee"), who was born in Eng- 
land in 1610, and came to America in 
1635. He died in Fairfield, Connecticut, 
in 1658. He married Mary Brundage, 
daughter of John Brundage, of Wethers- 
field, Connecticut. Joseph Purdy was a 
leading man in his community; he served 
as justice of the peace, 1702; as super- 
visor of the town, 1707-08; for several 
terms was representative in the General 
Assembly. He purchased land at North 
Castle, where many of his descendants 
settled. His will is dated October 5, 
1709. 

(III) Major Joseph Strang, son of Dan- 
iel (2) and Phebe (Purdy) Strang, was 
born February 27, 1725, and died August 
2, 1794. He served as lieutenant under 
Captain John Verplanck in the French 
War of 1757. On October 19, 1775, he 
was commissioned major of the Third or 
North Manor of Cortlandt Regiment un- 
der Colonel Pierre Van Cortlandt. His 
house, which was being used as a court 
house at the time, was burned by the 
British, June 3, 1779. He married for 
his second wife, Anne Haight, born De- 
cember 12, 1734, and died June 30, 1796, 
daughter of Jonathan Haight, of Cort- 
landt Manor, New York. 

(IV) Dr. Samuel Strang, son of Major 
Joseph and Anne (Haight) Strang, was 
born November 18, 1768, and died Janu- 
ary 1, 1832. He was a physician. On 
December 31, 1795, he married Catharine 
White, born May 30, 1773, or 1778, and 
died December 30, 1832, daughter of Dr. 
Ebenezer White, who was a surgeon in 
the New York Militia during the Revolu- 
tion. He was born in Southampton, Long 
Island, September 3, 1746, son of Rev. 
Sylvanus White, who was pastor of the 
Presbyterian church there for about fifty 



years. Dr. White married, March 19, 
1772, Helena Barstow, daughter of The- 
ophilus and Bathsheba (Pell) Barstow. 
Dr. White died in Yorktown, March 8, 
1827. 

(V) Joseph White Strang, son of Dr. 
Samuel and Catharine (White) Strang, 
was born December 7, 1797, and died in 
Yonkers, New York, June 4, 1864. He 
was a lawyer and resided most of his life 
in Peekskill, New York, where he took an 
active part in public affairs. He was the 
first man chosen president of the village. 
On September 3, 1821, he married Eliz- 
abeth Morgan Belcher, born October 4, 
1801, and died in Yonkers, New York, 
December 22, 1877, daughter of Dr. Elisha 
Belcher, a physician. Joseph White and 
Elizabeth Morgan (Belcher) Strang were 
the parents of the following children : 
Samuel A., Matilda, Josephine A., Lydia, 
Edgar A., mentioned below ; William 
Belcher. 

Dr. Elisha Belcher, father of Elizabeth 
Morgan (Belcher) Strang, was born 
March 7, 1757, and married Lydia Rey- 
nolds. His father, Captain William Bel- 
cher, was born August 29, 1731. He re- 
sided in Preston, Connecticut, where he 
died in his seventieth year. He com- 
manded a company during the Revolu- 
tion. He married, April 23, 1752, Desire, 
born February 27, 1736, died May 15, 
1801, daughter of Captain Daniel and 
Elizabeth (Gates) Morgan. Captain 
Daniel Morgan was born April 16, 1712, 
and died October 16, 1773. He married, 
September 24, 1730, Elizabeth Gates, 
born March 1, 1713, died February 11, 
1793, daughter of Joseph Gates, of Pres- 
ton. James Morgan, father of Captain 
Daniel Morgan, was born about 1680, and 
died in Preston. His estate was inven- 
toried November 7, 172 1. His father was 
Captain John Morgan, who was born 
March 30, 1645 ; about 1692 he became a 



240 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



resident of Preston, where he died. He 
was a prominent citizen, and served as 
Indian commissioner and advisor, and 
was elected as deputy to the General 
Court from New London in 1690, and 
from Preston in 1693-94. He married 
(first), November 16, 1665, Rachel Dy- 
mcnd, daughter of John Dymond. James 
Morgan, father of Captain John Morgan, 
and the founder of this branch of the 
Morgan family, was born in Wales in 
1607, and came to America in 1636. He 
married August 6, 1640, Margery Hill, of 
Roxbury, Massachusetts, who died in 
1685, at the age of seventy-eight years. 
William Belcher, father of Captain 
William Belcher, was born in Milton, 
Massachusetts, December 20, 1701, and 
died in Preston, Connecticut, February 7, 
1731-32. His father, Deacon Moses Bel- 
cher, was born August 14, 1672, and died 
May 4, 1728. He bought a farm in Mil- 
ton, Massachusetts, and resided there un- 
til 1720, when he removed to Preston, 
Connecticut. He was one of the first 
deacons of the second church in Preston. 
In 1721 he represented the town in the 
General Assembly. On December 19, 
1694, he married Hannah Lyon, born No- 
vember 14, 1673, died August 20, 1745, 
daughter of George and Hannah (Tol- 
man) Lyon, of Milton. His father, Sam- 
uel Belcher, was born August 24, 1637, 
was a resident of Braintree, Massachu- 
setts, where he died. June 17, 1679. On 
December 15, 1663, he married Mary Bil- 
lings, daughter of Roger Billings, of Dor- 
chester, Massachusetts. His father, Greg- 
ory Belcher, was born about 1606. He 
was in New England as early as 1637, and 
received a grant of fifty-two acres in 
Mount Wallaston, now part of Quincy, 
Massachusetts. On May 13, 1640, he was 
admitted freeman, and was elected select- 
man in 1646. On July 14, 1664, he pur- 
Conn— 8— 16 24 



chased nine acres in Milton. He married 
Catherine. He died November 25, 1674. 

(VI) Edgar A. Strang, son of Joseph 
White and Elizabeth Morgan (Belcher) 
Strang, was born December 3, 1833, in 
New York City, and died February 10, 
1909. Edgar A. Strang's opportunities 
for formal education were few. He was 
only nine years of age when he went to 
work in a wholesale grocery store. But 
he possessed a fine type of mind, with 
splendid powers of observation and per- 
ception. He read extensively and pon- 
dered well all that came within his ken, 
so that his mind showed a much better 
development than many minds which 
have been favored with greatly superior 
educational advantages. At the time of 
the Civil War Mr. Strang was suffering 
from a spinal disease which prevented 
him from seeking enlistment, but so 
strongly did he feel it to be the duty of 
every loyal citizen to serve his country 
that he paid a man to go for him. At the 
time of his marriage he was engaged in 
the banking business in New York City, 
and continued in it until the condition of 
his health made it necessary for him to 
give up all physical activity. He became 
a resident of Peekskill, about 1901. He 
and his wife were earnest Christians, 
identified with the Dutch Reformed 
church for many years. 

Mr. Strang married Anna Suydam, born 
January 12, 1839, in New York City, died 
December 21, 1907, in Peekskill, New 
York, aged sixty-eight years, eleven 
months, nine days, daughter of Cornelius 
R. Suydam, born July 31, 1793, near Bed- 
ford, Long Island, died November 12, 
1845, m New York City, aged fifty-two 
years, three months, twelve days, and his 
wife, Jane Eliza (Heyer) Suydam, born 
March 13, 1779, daughter of Cornelius 
Heyer, born September 30, 1773, died 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



January 5, 1843 ! granddaughter of Wil- 
liam Heyer, born December 14, 1723, died 
April 1, 1880; great-granddaughter of 
Walter Heyer, born in 1699, died October 
27, 1772. Mr. and Mrs. Strang were the 
parents of the following children : James 
Suydam, of further mention; Clifford H., 
died August 30, 1903; Jane H., married 
C. L. Mason, of Peekskill, New York. 

(VII) James Suydam Strang, son of 
Edgar A. and Anna (Suydam) Strang, 
was born December 12, 1863, in Yonkers, 
New York. His education was received 
in the public schools and at the famous 
old Peekskill Military Academy and Rut- 
gers Preparatory School. After working 
for a time for a firm of wholesale drug- 
gists, he went into a retail drug store, 
June 26, 1882, in Verplanck's Point. There 
he applied himself diligently to the mas- 
tery of every detail of the art of phar- 
macy, and passed successfully the exam- 
ination for a license as pharmacist, No- 
vember 30, 1886. He later clerked for 
Charles Dickinson, a New Britain drug- 
gist, for about eighteen months. Mr. 
Strang then opened a store of his own in 
Mount Vernon, New York. Three years 
more of the exacting life of a druggist, 
made all the more arduous by his ambi- 
tion to make his venture highly success- 
ful, sufficed to cause a breakdown in his 
health, compelling Mr. Strang to abandon 
his profession. He sold his business, and 
later became a clerk for the Union Trans- 
fer & Storage Company, of New York 
City. After a year and a half there, he 
removed to Stamford, Connecticut, in 
July, 1894, and there entered the office of 
Doty & Bartel, lumber dealers, as book- 
keeper. The following year Mr. Doty 
sold his interest out to Mr. Strang and 
his brother-in-law, Mr. C. W. Harper, 
and the business was continued under the 
name of Bartel & Company. After five 
years Mr. Strang and Mr. ( Harper sold 



their interests to Mr. Bartel, and Mr. 
Strang became identified with the Blick- 
ensderfer Manufacturing Company, where 
he remained until August, 1914. Then 
the present partnership with W. W. 
Graves, under the firm name of Graves & 
Strang, Inc., was formed to engage in 
the coal and wood business. In the 
spring of 1919, Mr. Strang and his part- 
ner with others incorporated The Spring- 
dale Ice and Coal Company, of which Mr. 
Strang is secretary. Mr. Strang is a di- 
rector of the Stamford Morris Plan Com- 
pany and of the Young Men's Christian 
Association in that city. 

From the time he was made a Master 
Mason in Union Lodge, No. 5, of Stam- 
ford, May 3, 1899, Mr. Strang entered 
actively and zealously into the cause of 
Free Masonry and has attained the thirty- 
second degree. He is treasurer of Union 
Lodge ; treasurer of Rittenhouse Chap- 
ter, No. 11, Royal Arch Masons; treas- 
urer of Washington Council, No. 6, Royal 
and Select Masters ; member of Clinton 
Commandery, Knights Templar, of Nor- 
walk; Lafayette Consistory, Ancient Ac- 
cepted Scottish Rite ; and Pyramid Tem- 
ple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the 
Mystic Shrine, of Bridgeport. Mr. Strang 
thinks Masonry, like religion, is some- 
thing to be lived in everyday life. Since 
1884 Mr. Strang has been a member of 
Courtland Lodge, No. 6, Independent Or- 
der of Odd Fellows, of Peekskill, New 
York. During the time he was associated 
with the Blickensderfer Manufacturing 
Company, he had charge of their office in 
Detroit for sixteen months, and while 
there he affiliated with Palestine Lodge, 
No. 357, Free and Accepted Masons, as 
permanent visiting member. He is also a 
member of the Kiwanis and Suburban 
clubs of Stamford. 

On October 8, 1885, Mr. Strang was 
united in marriage with Grace E. Harper, 



242 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



daughter of Rev. J. A. Harper, a clergy- 
man of the Dutch Reformed church. He 
was born in the North of Ireland, and 
came as a young man to Mount Vernon, 
New York. There Mrs. Strang was born 
on April 2, 1867. Two children have been 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Strang: Alma E., 
who graduated from the Stamford High 
School, and Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, and 
is now taking the nurses training course 
at St. Luke's Hospital, New York City; 
Lorena S., like her sister graduated from 
the Stamford High School, and Pratt In- 
stitute, and at the time of writing is em- 
ployed as assistant dietician, Blooming- 
dale Hospital, White Plains, New York. 
The family are members of the Pres- 
byterian church in which Mr. Strang has 
served some years as elder. In outward 
demeanor he is most unassuming. His 
ideas of man's duty to man are firmly es- 
tablished, however, and he adheres rig- 
idly to those ideals of right living that 
have ever been the bulwark of American 
family and national life. His sympathies 
are broad, and his interest is ever keen 
in what concerns the welfare of his fel- 
lowman. These qualities have won for 
him a host of loyal friends. 



CROSBY, Joseph Porter, 

Builder, Public Official. 

A residence of thirty-five years in 
Greenwich, during which time he has es- 
tablished himself as one of the leading 
business men of his community, has made 
Mr. Crosby's name so familiar and so 
highly respected that its appearance is 
sure to be greeted with instant and cor- 
dial recognition. In public life Mr. 
Crosby is even better known than in the 
world of business, having served most 
creditably as a member of the Legislature 
and having filled, most honorably to him- 
self and most satisfactorily to his constit- 



uents, more than one local office of trust 
and responsibility. 

The name of Crosby signifies Town of 
the Cross and is the designation of eight 
places in Great Britain. Its earliest men- 
tion as a family name occurs in records 
of 1204. 

Simon Crosby, founder of the American 
branch of the family, came from England 
in 1635 and settled in Cambridge, Mas- 
sachusetts. His descendants established 
themselves on Cape Cod which has thus 
become the permanent home of the larg- 
est branch of this numerous family. 

(I) Lemuel Crosby, the progenitor of 
the line herein followed, married and 
among his children was Theophilus, of 
whom further. 

(II) Captain Theophilus Crosby, son 
of Lemuel Crosby, married Anna Brown, 
daughter of Benjamin Brown, and his 
death occurred November 14, 1831. 

(III) Captain Ansel Crosby, son of 
Captain Theophilus and Anna (Brown) 
Crosby, was born June II, 1786, in Nova 
Scotia, whither his father had migrated 
from Cape Cod. He married Tabitha 
Dennis, daughter of Ambrose Dennis. 
Captain Crosby died July 17, 1865. 

(IV) Captain Ansel (2) Crosby, son of 
Captain Ansel (1) and Tabitha (Dennis) 
Crosby, was born in 1825, in Yarmouth, 
Nova Scotia, and there grew to manhood. 
In youth he began to follow the sea, be- 
coming captain at an early age and mak- 
ing deep-sea voyages for the most part 
between New York City and different Eu- 
ropean ports. After some years he retired 
from the sea, and in 1873 engaged in 
business as a ship chandler in Boston, 
Massachusetts. About five years later he 
went to New York City and opened a 
shipping office which he continued to con- 
duct as long as he lived. Mr. Crosby 
married Elizabeth Porter, born 1822, 
whose ancestral record is appended to 



243 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



this biography, and their children were: 
Alice, of Brooklyn, New York ; Charles 
W., also of Brooklyn, New York ; Joseph 
Porter, of whom further ; and Harry A., 
a resident of Brooklyn. Mr. Crosby died 
\"< tvember 24, 1902. He and his wife were 
members of the Baptist church. 

(V) Joseph Porter Crosby, son of Cap- 
tain Ansel (2) and Elizabeth (Porter) 
Crosby, was born April 4, 1855, in Yar- 
mouth, Nova Scotia. He received his ed- 
ucation in the public schools of his home 
town. He learned the carpenter's trade, 
and in connection with his trade he 
learned draughting, studying the theory 
as well as mastering the practical art of 
building, and after finishing his appren- 
ticeship he went into business for him- 
self in Yarmouth. In 1880 he removed 
to Newton, Massachusetts, and served for 
five years as superintendent for a con- 
tractor and builder. In 1885 he removed 
to Greenwich, Connecticut, and went into 
business for himself, his specialty being 
fine country houses. Among those which 
he has erected may be mentioned the resi- 
dences of James McCutcheon, A. W. 
Johnson, N. Wetherell, the Hon. R. J. 
Walsh and many others, all these being in 
Greenwich. He constructed the interior 
finish in the Greenwich Trust Company's 
building, and since 1887 has operated a 
wood-working mill, thus getting out 
nearly all his own finish. 

In politics Mr. Crosby is a Republican, 
and has long taken an active part in pub- 
lic affairs. After serving a term as a 
member of the Board of Burgesses he was 
elected, in 1915, to the Legislature, where 
he served on the committee on cities and 
boroughs. The same year he was elected 
warden of the borough of Greenwich, an 
office which he has ever since continu- 
ously retained. Among the results ac- 
complished during his administration are 
the building of permanent roads and the 



sewage disposal plant. When Mr. Crosby 
became warden the borough was under a 
floating debt of $200,000. The borough 
has since been bonded to cover that 
amount and the bonds are being retired. 
From 1845 until Mr. Crosby became war- 
den the borough borrowed money every 
year, but during his administration it did 
not borrow a dollar and has retired about 
$25,000 of its old indebtedness. Among 
the minor offices held by Mr. Crosby is 
that of secretary of the school committee 
that erected three modern schoolhouses, 
situated, respectively, at Hamilton ave- 
nue, Coscob street and New Lebanon. 
He affiliates with Acacia Lodge, Ancient 
Free and Accepted Masons, and he and 
his wife are members of the Methodist 
Episcopal church, in which for some years 
Mr. Crosby held the office of steward. 

Mr. Crosby married, August 27, 1878, 
Maria D. Trefry, daughter of De Lancey 
and Rachel (Wescott) Trefry, of Yar- 
mouth, Nova Scotia, and they are the par- 
ents of the following children: 1. 
Charles, born September 12, 1879; mar- 
ried Elsie Cliff, of Greenwich. 2. Chester 
N., born October 19, 1884; married Hilda 
Wiederman, and they have three chil- 
dren: Joseph P. (2), Chestine and Ruth 
L. 3. Joseph Elton, born October 21, 
1889; married Estelle White, and they 
have one child, Joseph Elton, Jr. (see fol- 
lowing sketch). 4. Genevieve, born Oc- 
tober 23, 1891 ; married Ralph Benson 
Hurlbutt, and they have one child, Ralph 
Benson, Jr. 5. Helen, deceased. 

The record of Joseph Porter Crosby is 
that of an all-round man. As a business 
man he has by his ability and enterprise 
helped to increase the material prosperity 
of his community, and in the different 
offices to which he has been summoned 
by the voice of his fellow-citizens, he has, 
by his public-spirited devotion to the 
rights and privileges of his constituents, 



244 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



rendered service of a valuable and lasting 
character. Most richly does he merit the 
high esteem and cordial regard in which 
he is held by his friends and neighbors 
and the entire community. 

(The Porter Line). 

This ancient family, which has a rec- 
ord of nearly three centuries in New Eng- 
land, was founded by William de la 
Grande, a Norman knight, who accom- 
panied William the Conqueror to Eng- 
land, and in return for his services was 
given lands in or near Kenilworth, War- 
wickshire. 

Ralph, or Roger, son of William, be- 
came Grand Porteur to King Henry the 
First, and from his tenure of this high 
office was derived the family name. 

The escutcheon of the Porters is as 
follows : 

Arms — Argent, on a fesse sable between bar- 
rulets or, three bells of the first. 
Crest — A portcullis argent chained or. 
Motto — Vigilantia et virtute. 

(I) John Porter, founder of the Amer- 
ican branch of the family, was born in 
England about 1596, and about 1637 is 
known to have been of Hingham, Mas- 
sachusetts. Later he removed to Salem 
and there passed the remainder of his 
life. He was a man of prominence in the 
community, holding high and responsible 
offices, and is said to have been a per- 
sonal friend of Governor Endicott. John 

Porter married Mary . His death 

occurred in 1676. 

(II) Samuel Porter, son of John and 
Mary Porter, was born, probably, in Eng- 
land, and was a mariner, owning a farm 
in Wenham, near Wenham pond. He 
married Hannah Dodge. He died about 
1660. 

(III) John (2) Porter, son of Samuel 
and Hannah (Dodge) Porter, was born 
in 1658, and about 1680 moved from Dan- 



vers to Wenham. He was a maltster and 
lived on a farm. He married Lydia Her- 
rick. Mr. Porter was an active and influ- 
ential citizen, and lived to the venerable 
age of ninety-five years, passing away in 

1753- 

(IV) Nehemiah Porter, son of John 
(2) and Lydia (Herrick) Porter, was born 
in 1692, in Wenham, Massachusetts, and 
was a weaver and yeoman, living on a 
farm in Ipswich given him by his father. 
He married, in 1717, Hannah Smith, 
daughter of Hezekiah Smith, of Beverly. 
He died in Ipswich in 1784. 

(V) Nehemiah (2) Porter, son of Ne- 
hemiah (1) and Hannah (Smith) Porter, 
was born March 22, 1720. He early deter- 
mined to study for the ministry. He 
graduated from Harvard College, and in 
1750 was ordained pastor of the church 
in Chebacco parish where he remained 
sixteen years. At the end of that time he 
went to Nova Scotia where, however, he 
spent but a few years, returning ere long 
to Massachusetts and accepting a pastor- 
ate in Ashfield, which he retained to the 
close of his long life. He married (first) 
January 20, 1749, Rebecca Chipman, 
daughter of the Rev. John Chipman, of 
Beverly, Massachusetts. The Chipmans 
were numbered among the old Colonial 
families of the Province. Mr. Porter mar- 
ried (second) Elizabeth Nowell, of Bos- 
ton. During the Revolutionary War he 
volunteered as chaplain and always be- 
lieved that his prayers turned the tide 
of battle at Saratoga. To his great honor 
be it recorded that he was strongly anti- 
slavery. Many anecdotes are related il- 
lustrative of his strength of principle, his 
originality of mind and his trenchant and 
ready wit. A gentleman who refused to 
attend church ended his argument with 
"I have a right to think as I have a mind 
to." To which Mr. Porter instantly re- 
plied, "You have no right to think 



245 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



wrong." On February 29, 1820, this de- 
voted man "ceased from earth." He had 
rounded out, in years, very nearly a cen- 
tury, seventy-five of those years having 
been spent in the Christian ministry. His 
character, considered from every side, is 
one of the noblest in our history. 

(VI) Nehemiah (3) Porter, son of 
Nehemiah (2) and Rebecca (Chipman) 
Porter, was born January 12, 1753. He 
married, July 18, 1776, Mary Tardy, of 
Halifax, Nova Scotia. 

(VII) Joseph Blaney Porter, son of 
Nehemiah (3) and Mary (Tardy) Porter, 
was born June 28, 1795- He married, De- 
cember 11, 181 7, in Nova Scotia, Elizabeth 
Wyman, daughter of Matthew Wyman. 
Mr. Porter died April 12, 1859. 

(VIII) Elizabeth Porter, daughter of 
Joseph Blaney and Elizabeth (Wyman) 
Porter, became the wife of Captain Ansel 
Crosby (see Crosby IV). She died in 
November, 1868. 



CROSBY, J. Elton, 

Business Man. 

J. Elton Crosby, one of the men who 
have won success in life by virtue of their 
natural ability and strength of will, was 
born October 21, 1889, in Greenwich, 
Connecticut, son of Joseph Porter Crosby 
(q-v.). 

He was educated in the Brunswick 
School in Greenwich, after which he ma- 
triculated in Worcester Polytechnic In- 
stitute with the class of 1914. There he 
became a member of the Alpha Tau Mega 
fraternity. After completing his formal 
education, Mr. Crosby was associated 
with his father in the contracting busi- 
ness for about seven or eight years. In 
1919 he took charge of the real estate of- 
fice of Prince & Ripley, in Greenwich, in 
the managership of which he has been 
very successful. On November 1, 1920, 



he opened business on his own account 
with offices at No. 29 Greenwich avenue, 
and does an extensive business in local 
real estate and insurance. 

Mr. Crosby married Estelle White, 
daughter of Warren P. and Jane (Sut- 
ton) White, of Purchase, New York. 
They are the parents of two children: J. 
Elton, Jr., born October 21, 1915 ; Ger- 
trude Estelle, born, 1920. 

Warren P. White, father of Mrs. Cros- 
by, was born November 20, 1854. He 
was reared in Greenwich, Connecticut, 
and went to school there. Thence he 
went to Brooklyn and clerked in a retail 
grocery store for some years, and then 
formed a partnership to engage in the re- 
tail grocery business. He was in business 
in Greenwich for many years, and part of 
this time was alone, having bought the 
interest of his partner. In 1910 Mr. 
White retired from active cares. He 
married Jane Sutton, daughter of James 
and Phoebe T. (Carpenter) Sutton. James 
Sutton was born in the town of Green- 
wich, Connecticut, and died in November, 
1880. He was a farmer all his life. His 
wife, Phoebe T. Carpenter, was a daugh- 
ter of Elnathan and Hannah (Haviland) 
Carpenter. Warren P. White and his 
wife, Jane (Sutton) White, were the par- 
ents of three children : Stephen, Edna and 
Estelle. Mrs. White is a member of the 
Society of Friends. Estelle White be- 
came the wife of J. Elton Crosby, as 
above noted. 



WINCHESTER, Albert Edward, 

Electrical Engineer, Inventor. 

When all things were made, none was 
better made than the man (the same 
through all generations) who having 
found his work does it with all his might, 
stays on the job and attends to business, 
honors all men and is honored. The high 



246 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



character and strength of such men are 
reflected in the enterprises they manage ; 
their personality imparts the human touch 
and commands confidence and respect. 
Such a man is Albert E. Winchester, gen- 
eral superintendent of the South Nor- 
walk (Connecticut) Electric Works. In 
his lineage are to be found many strains 
that from the Colonial period have con- 
tributed to give to America its unique 
character among the nations. His ances- 
tors were of English, French, Irish and 
Scotch extraction, including John Win- 
chester, Royal Governor Belcher, of Mas- 
sachusetts and later of New Jersey, the 
Jackson family of the Southern States, 
and the French Huguenots, Devone and 
Bennett, of New York and Canada. 

The family name of Winchester is 
among the oldest in England, being de- 
rived from the city of that name in the 
County of Hants. The name of Ralph de 
Wincestre is found in the Hundred Rolls, 
A. D. 1273. 

(I) John Winchester, who has been re- 
ferred to as one of the "Founders of New 
England," established this family in 
America. He was born in England in 
1616, and is said to have been an ad- 
venturous, religious, independence-loving 
scion of a titled family of Hertfordshire. 
On April 6, 1635, he sailed on the ship 
"Elizabeth" and landed in Boston, Mas- 
sachusetts. He was allotted five acres of 
land on what is now South street, Hing- 
ham, July 3, 1636, and settled there. In 
the same year he became a member of the 
first church of Boston. He was made a 
freeman, March 9, 1637, and a year later 
joined the Ancient and Honorable Artil- 
lery Company of Boston. About 1650 he 
and others moved to Muddy River, then 
a remote part of Boston, but now the 
aristocratic town of Brookline. There he 
was surveyor in 1664, 1 ^9 and 1670; in 



1672 was constable ; and in 1680 was 
tythingman. He and his family united 
with the Roxbury church in 1674. His 
estate, at his death, April 25, 1694, as in- 
ventoried, indicates that he was well- 
to-do for those days, for it was appraised 
at £307, and consisted principally of all 
the land in Harvard street, Brookline, to 
the top of Corey's hill and west to the 
Brighton line. 

(II) Josiah Winchester, son of John 
Winchester, married Mary Lyon, or 
Lyons, and their son, Elhanan, is of fur- 
ther mention. 

(III) Elhanan Winchester, son of Jo- 
siah and Mary (Lyon or Lyons) Winches- 
ter, married Mary Taylor, and their son, 
Elhanan, is of further mention. 

(IV) Elhanan (2) Winchester, son of 
Elhanan (1) and Mary (Taylor) Win- 
chester, was a deacon in the Church of 
the "New Lights." In 1777 he advanced 
£300 to the town of Newton, Massachu- 
setts, to pay the needy soldiers, whom 
the town in its impoverished condition on 
account of the war was unable to provide 
for. This loan greatly reduced his re- 
sources, and no record that it was repaid 
has been found. He married Sarah Bel- 
cher, a daughter of Royal Governor Bel- 
cher. He held the office of governor of 
his native colony of Massachusetts from 
1730 to 1741, and at his death in 1757 was 
royal governor of New Jersey. 

(V) Samuel Winchester, son of El- 
hanan (2) and Sarah (Belcher) Winches- 
ter, served in the Revolutionary War 
under General Gates. He participated in 
the battle of Stillwater, and was present 
at the surrender of General Burgoyne's 
army in Saratoga, New York. Samuel 
Winchester married for his third wife 
Hannah Woods. 

(VI) Ebenezer Winchester, son of 
Samuel and Hannah (Woods) Winches- 



247 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



ter, was born in Marcellus, New York, 
March 30, 1814, and died in Valley 
Springs, California, February 1, 1897. He 
was an editor in his early days, being a 
fellow-worker with Horace Greeley and 
Whitelaw Reid on the New York "Tri- 
bune." For some time he was the pub- 
lisher of the Fredonia, New York. "Cen- 
sor." At another time he established the 
"New World," said to have been New 
York's first society illustrated paper. He 
also did much editorial and other writing 
for other newspapers. During the sixties 
and seventies he and his son, Theodore 
Winchester, owned and operated a news- 
paper and printing establishment in 
Marietta, Ohio. The latter years of Eben- 
ezer Winchester's life were spent in Oak- 
land and Valley Springs, California, 
where until he became blind he pursued 
writing and research work of a literary 
nature. 

Mr. Winchester married Elizabeth Nel- 
son Story, who was born in Annapolis 
Royal, Nova Scotia, March 26, 1815. She 
was a direct descendant of John Story, 
who came from England in the first half 
of the eighteenth century and settled in 
Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he became 
an extensive ship merchant. His young- 
est son, Francis Story, father of Elizabeth 
Nelson Story, was born in Laurencetown, 
near Halifax, June 24, 1776. Being a 
commander of ships in the West India 
trade, he was known as Captain Story. 
Quite early in the nineteenth century he 
became a resident of Westchester county, 
New York. Maternally, Elizabeth Nel- 
son Story was descended from the French 
Huguenot families of Devone — now called 
Devoe — and Bennett, founders of the 
numerous Westchester county families 
bearing those names. The original De- 
vones and Bennetts, having left Rochelle, 
France, in consequence of the revocation 



of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, were early 
settlers in New Rochelle, New York. 
Frederick Devone, great-grandfather of 
Elizabeth Nelson (Story) Winchester, 
was born there early in the seventeen hun- 
dreds. He engaged in business in New 
York City, where he resided during the 
winter seasons on Franklin square, spend- 
ing his summers at his country home in 
New Rochelle. He was the owner of a 
considerable estate. Frederick Devone 
was a vestryman of St. Paul's Chapel, 
New York. Being a Royalist, he removed 
to Nova Scotia after the British evacuated 
New York, taking with him his ward, 
David Bennett, who was born in New 
Rochelle, March 31, 1757. David Bennett 
was married at Annapolis Royal, Nova 
Scotia, to Charity Devone, a daughter of 
his guardian, Frederick Devone, who was 
born in New Rochelle, New York, Janu- 
ary 27, 1759. This marriage took place 
about 1782 or 1783. Their oldest daugh- 
ter, Sarah Bennett, who was born in An- 
napolis, Nova Scotia, December 21, 1784, 
was married at that place, March 13, 
1806, to Captain Francis Story, and they 
were the parents of Elizabeth Nelson 
Story, who as the wife of Ebenezer Win- 
chester was the grandmother of Albert E. 
Winchester. 

(VII) Theodore Winchester, son of 
Ebenezer and Elizabeth Nelson (Story) 
Winchester, was born in Brooklyn, New 
York, March 30, 1842, and died in Balti- 
more, Maryland, December 11, 1883. He 
received an education better than was 
given to most youths of his day. He pos- 
sessed an active mind, and besides mak- 
ing the most of the opportunities afforded 
him he added to his store of knowledge 
by wise and careful reading and by keea 
and thoughtful observation. He literally 
grew up in the printing office of his father, 
the work being such as appeals to almost 



248 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



every boy. He became a thorough all- 
round printer, and remained identified 
with the printing business in one way 
and another as long as he lived. He took 
out a number of patents, and contributed 
many improvements in methods of de- 
signing, cutting and making type. Dur- 
ing the sixties and seventies he was asso- 
ciated with his father in the ownership 
and operation of a newspaper and print- 
ing plant at Marietta, Ohio. It was there 
that he began his inventive work on 
printing appliances. At the time of his 
death he was associated with the Balti- 
more Type Foundry. During all these 
years he was associated with various pub- 
lishers, for he was an exceptionally fluent 
and versatile writer. While he never 
essayed to be a poet, he possessed a splen- 
did gift of poesy, though this was exer- 
cised mostly for his own entertainment. 
As a free-lance writer his editorial writ- 
ings appeared in many publications. He 
also possessed marked artistic talent, but 
this too was used merely as a means of 
amusement. 

On December n, 1865, Theodore Win- 
chester married Anna Maud Jackson, who 
was born November 25, 1847, m Danby, 
New York, and died January 21, 191 1, in 
Los Angeles, California. In her latter 
years she was known in literary circles 
and among her friends as Mrs. Winches- 
ter-Dennie. Her second husband, de- 
ceased, was Henry Eugene Dennie, a 
pioneer builder of railroads in Mexico and 
Central America. From girlhood, Mrs. 
Winchester-Dennie was devoted to edu- 
cational and literary work, and became 
prominent in both, particularly as an edi- 
torial writer on political and governmen- 
tal matters and as a promoter of modern 
education. Her newspaper work took her 
to Mexico in 1881, and there she labored 
for and succeeded in the introduction of 



the American school system. As a mark 
of distinction, she was the first woman to 
be commissioned by the Mexican govern- 
ment as Professor of Instruction, which 
followed her marriage to Mr. Dennie. 
After a residence of about twenty years 
in Mexico, and having become a widow, 
she made her home with her son, Albert 
E. Winchester, in South Norwalk, Con- 
necticut. Her long continuous work had 
made her an invalid, and her entire for- 
tune had been exhausted in the advance- 
ment of education and uplift effort. In 
about five years she went to the Pacific 
coast in the hope of restoring her health, 
but her strength continued to fail until 
January 21, 191 1, when she passed away. 
Until a few months before the end, Mrs. 
Winchester-Dennie pursued her literary 
work as a reviewer, rewriter and critic of 
fiction and other writings. Her father, 
George Jackson, of Virginia and Mary- 
land stock, late of Ithaca, New York, was 
of English and Scotch descent. Her 
mother was Caroline (Denton) Jackson, 
of Danby, New York, who was of Eng- 
lish and Irish descent. A direct maternal 
ancestor is understood to have been an 
Irish countess who married below her 
station and ran away to America. George 
Jackson worked on the laying out of 
Washington, D. C, and was early asso- 
ciated with Samuel F. B. Morse, the in- 
ventor of electric telegraphy, and Ezra 
Cornell, founder of Cornell University, 
with whom he helped to construct the 
first electric telegraph line between Wash- 
ington and Baltimore. His forefathers, 
after concluding that slavery was wrong, 
freed their slaves and came North, set- 
tling in the vicinity of Ithaca, many years 
before the war that settled the slavery 
question. He was also one of the original 
"Forty-niners" who went to seek gold in 



249 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



California. Upon his return he resumed 
his occupation of farmer and cattle dealer. 
(VIII) Albert E. Winchester, son of 
Theodore and Anna Maud (Jackson) 
Winchester, in 1871 accompanied his 
mother to her old home in Ithaca, New 
York, where he attended school until 
New York City became their home in 
1876. At the age of ten he secured his 
first position, as office boy with the Wall 
street law firm of Wells Hendershott. 
The spring of 1881 found our subject em- 
barking for old Mexico with his mother, 
who had been appointed to write a guide- 
book for the Gould-Grant Railroad, then 
under concession, and as Mexican corre- 
spondent for several American periodi- 
cals. At that time he was just fourteen 
years old, and there being no suitable 
school for him in Mexico in those days, 
and having evinced from earliest boy- 
hood an insatiable zeal and ardor for con- 
structive mechanics, and a keen apprecia- 
tion of scientific values, he became an' 
apprentice in the Mexican Central Rail- 
road, which was then being built to the 
United States. He served successively in 
the treasury department, the mechanical 
section in connection with locomotive and 
car building, and out on pioneer railroad 
construction. On completing his time in 
1883, he was sent back to the United 
States to qualify for college and took a 
preparatory course in the Whitlock Acad- 
emy, Wilton, Connecticut. At this early 
day the young man was investigating the 
then new problem of the commercial de- 
velopment of electricity as his limited 
time permitted, and at the conclusion of 
his course at the academy, instead of en- 
tering college, he began in the year 1886, 
as the youngest member of the parent 
Edison Company's engineering staff, un- 
der the well known veteran electrical and 
mechanical engineer, J. H. Vail, who was 



then the general superintendent, and con- 
tinued with the various organizations of 
the Edison interests in line of succes- 
sion from draughtsman to constructing 
engineer, until the formation of the Gen- 
eral Electric Company, with which he 
remained until 1893, when he became a 
director of the Electrical & Mechanical 
Engineering Company of New York, and 
its superintendent of construction for the 
three ensuing years. 

During 1896 and 1897, Mr. Winchester 
was on the staff of the New York Edison 
Illuminating Company. From that time 
to the present (1921) he has held his pres- 
ent position of general superintendent of 
the South Norwalk Electric Works. 
Back in 1892, he designed and superin- 
tended the construction of this plant, 
after which year and until 1902 he also 
served as a member of South Nor- 
walk's Board of Electrical Commission- 
ers. Thus he has devoted himself contin- 
uously to his city since 1892, contributing 
a large part of his time and ability with- 
out remuneration other than the know- 
ledge of having done his best as a public 
servant. Mr. Winchester's present stand- 
ing in his city, in addition to that of su- 
perintendent of the electrical works, is 
that of superintendent of the fire alarm 
telegraph since 1893, an d city electrical 
engineer since 1902. He also assists the 
Public Utilities Commission of Connecti- 
cut in a consulting capacity, and is elec- 
trical adviser to several municipalities 
and private corporations. He is a direc- 
tor of the Norwalk Building and Loan 
Association, and a member of the execu- 
tive committee of the South Norwalk 
Board of Trade. In 1906 Mr. Winchester 
became president of the Water and Elec- 
tric Company of Westport, Connecticut, 
and so continued until the company was 
absorbed some years later by the New 



250 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



York & New Haven Railroad Company. 
In the meantime, he saw the Westport 
concern rise from a precarious condition 
to one of prosperity as the result of the 
united and earnest purpose of himself and 
his associates to deal fairly with its pa- 
trons. 

Mr. Winchester's scientific and social 
affiliations are numerous. He holds the 
highest grade, that of Fellow, and has 
been a full member, of the American In- 
stitute of Electrical Engineers since 1887. 
He is also a founder member of the Edi- 
son Pioneers, who were the great inven- 
tor's helpers in his discoveries before the 
latter eighties. He is a member of Old 
Well Lodge, No. 108, Ancient Free and 
Accepted Masons ; Butler Chapter, No. 
38, Royal Arch Masons ; Washington 
Council, No. 6, Royal and Select Masters ; 
Washington Commandery, No. 3, Knights 
Templar ; and Pyramid Temple, Ancient 
Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic 
Shrine. His memberships also include 
the Eastern Star, the Red Men, Elks, 
Heptasophs, Royal Arcanum, South Nor- 
walk Club, Knob Club, Council of the 
Norwalk Division of the Boy Scouts of 
America, and others. 

Since 1893 Mr. Winchester has been a 
constantly active member of the South 
Norwalk Fire Department, of which he 
was chief for two terms, stepping back 
into the ranks in 1907. After twenty 
years of continuous service he was made 
an active life member of Old Well Hook 
& Ladder Company, which he had early 
joined, and of which he is now treasurer. 
In the volunteer service he is credited 
with never having faltered in the line of 
duty ; regardless of weather, personal 
safety or other consideration he would be 
found in the thick of the fight, using good 
judgment and telling efforts, which won 
him the respect of his associates and the 



citizens generally. He is also a member 
of the Connecticut State Firemen's Asso- 
ciation and the Connecticut Fire Chief's 
Club. 

He has often been mentioned for politi- 
cal offices of prominence, but has declined 
to be a candidate. He is opposed to en- 
tering any political contest for the glory ' 
of winning, or to oppose a friend, or to 
seek and accept an office that is held and 
wanted by a man who has faithfully ren- 
dered efficient service. 

Though he is an inventor of acknow- 
ledged genius, Mr. Winchester has never 
taken out any patents for himself, holding 
that his employers were entitled to the 
results of his efforts. Among other de- 
vices, he originated one of the first prac- 
tical quick-break switches for heavy 
electric currents, the exact principles of 
which are in general use to-day. The 
sectional iron bracket pole for supporting 
trolley wires was developed by him ; also 
improvements in the key sockets for in- 
candescent lamps ; an automatic trolley 
pole and contact for electric train service ; 
an early car motor controller, and he 
aided in the evolution of the one now 
commonly in use on electric street cars. 
He contributed many other improvements 
and modifications of great value to trol- 
ley line appliances and construction, to 
which work he was assigned for a consid- 
erable period of time. In 1916-17 he col- 
laborated with the General Electric Com- 
pany in evolving the new type of very 
efficient ornamental street lighting unit 
that was first installed in South Norwalk 
in 1918. He was also detailed from time 
to time on special lines under the direc- 
tion of Mr. Edison, of which fact he is 
justly proud, and believes that his contact 
with the great inventor has been of incal- 
culable benefit to him. Mr. Winchester's 
speciality, however, has gradually con- 



251 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



centrated his attention on the intricate 
engineering and management details of 
electric lighting and power undertakings. 
He has participated in the designing of 
over one hundred electric lighting and 
street railway generating stations, of 
which some were erected under his per- 
sonal supervision. Some of the more im- 
portant of these plants were : The early 
Edison stations in New York City, Bos- 
ton, Philadelphia, Chicago, Cincinnati, St. 
Louis, San Francisco, New Orleans, Kan- 
sas City, Topeka, Milwaukee, Detroit, 
Providence, Brooklyn, Wilmington, and 
many others. In electric street railway 
work he was connected with the construc- 
tion of the Richmond street railway — the 
pioneer of the old Sprague Company — the 
street railways of Scranton, Brooklyn, 
Jamaica, Hoosic Falls, Poughkeepsie and 
Wappingers Falls, New York's first ex- 
perimental road using the surface contact 
plates, and many others. 

In the autumn of 1905, representative 
citizens from all parts of the Nation were 
called to New York City to attend a spe- 
cial convention of the National Civic Fed- 
eration, assembled at Columbia Univer- 
sity, in response to the demand of the 
American people for real facts relating to 
the advantages and disadvantages result- 
ing from applied public and private own- 
ership of public utilities. This vital issue 
had become a topic of serious contention 
between privately owned public serving 
utilities on the one hand, and those people 
who believed that the public should own 
and operate its own utilities. A commit- 
tee of twenty-one commissioners, of whom 
Mr. Winchester was one, was by vote 
named and given the necessary power 
and finances to thoroughly investigate 
this subject under operative conditions, 
both in this country and abroad, aided by 
a picked corps of experts in engineering, 



management, accounting labor economics, 
and civic efficiency. The list of names is 
too long to include in this article, but it 
comprises men recognized the country 
over as leaders in their respective fields. 
In recognition of his experience and qual- 
ifications, Commissioner Winchester was 
also selected as one of the two electric 
lighting and power experts of the foreign 
investigation committee. He sailed for 
England in the early spring of 1906, and 
for five months his time was wholly occu- 
pied in a minute investigation of the elec- 
tric, gas, and street railway undertakings 
of the large cities of England, Scotland 
and Ireland, and afterwards devoted much 
of his time in this country to aiding in the 
compilation of the vast amount of data 
included in the commission's report. 
This report Avas given to the public in 
1907, and still stands as the most com- 
plete work of its nature, and is the world's 
best authority within its field. 

During Mr. Winchester's stay in Lon- 
don, in 1906, Superintendent Hamilton, 
of the London Fire Brigade, gave a spe- 
cial demonstration of fire fighting in his 
honor as a visiting active fire chief. A 
building was provided especially for that 
purpose, to which fire apparatus was 
called from a distance as great as three 
or four miles, in order to establish a time 
record for response. Prominent features 
of the exhibition were the scaling of 
buildings and life-net rescues. 

While abroad, Mr. Winchester was 
also a United States delegate of the Amer- 
ican Institute of Electrical Engineers to 
the International Congress of Electrical 
Engineers at London. Professor J. H. 
Gray, in his report on the South Norwalk 
plant, speaks characteristically of Mr. 
Winchester, as follows : 

Although the present superintendent, Mr. A. E. 
Winchester, was originally chief promoter of the 



2^2 






ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



plant, the constructing engineer, and for nearly 
ten years one of the Commissioners — resigning 
July i, 1002, and from four years previous to that 
date up to the present time superintendent of the 
plant — and although he takes a very active part in 
Republican politics and always has done so, I have 
not been able to find that political considerations 
have at any time had any influence in the promo- 
tion, disciplining or dismissing of any member of 
the force or with the operation of the plant. It 
ought also to be said that a large part of the 
success of the plant and of the enthusiasm with 
which it is regarded by the public are due to the 
personal activity and character of Mr. Winches- 
ter. His character in connection with the plant 
and his dominating influence over its fortunes are 
unique, so far as my observation goes. I under- 
stand that Mr. Winchester, in the early days, 
served the city in connection with the establish- 
ment and management of the electric plant with- 
out any salary at all, and in recent years has 
served as superintendent for a smaller compen- 
sation than he could command elsewhere. I be- 
lieve also that every extension and enlargement 
of the works recommended by him has been 
speedily authorized by the city, and that in no 
case has the expense of the work exceeded his 
estimate as presented to the city meeting. In fact, 
he has come well within every special appropria- 
tion made for investment, except one for $5,000 
for motors, in which the original estimate was not 
exceeded. (Schedule I., volume II., pages 667-8, 
report entitled "Municipal and Private Operation 
of Public Utilities"). 

In his early career, Mr. Winchester 
took up the contrasting study of private 
and public ownership of public serving 
utilities from the standpoint of civic bene- 
fits and economies. He had heard much 
strong argument on both sides of the con- 
troversy by his associates and others 
whose opinions were shaped by connected 
interests, so seldom substantiated by 
clearly demonstrated facts, that he be- 
came interested, not as a radical either 
way, but in the belief that the question 
was of such importance that it should be 
given deeper and broader consideration, 
from a purely practical and unbiased 
point of view, than the opposing sides 



seemed able to agree upon. He wanted 
to know the real truth, and although 
already possessed of a fair insight into the 
methods of private ownership, he felt sure 
that a close investigation on both sides of 
the question would fail to demonstrate 
either the fallacies or the virtues of either 
side to the extent alleged, and that the 
best results for all concerned depended 
not so much upon the title of ownership, as 
upon the degree of honesty in the policy 
of management and the perfection of 
business methods and efficiency of opera- 
tion. When fully convinced that the 
question of ownership was secondary to 
service rendered, and that no up-to-date 
reason existed why a well handled pri- 
vately or publicly owned undertaking in 
the service of the people could not oper- 
ate with equal satisfaction, Mr. Winches- 
ter accepted the opportunity to prove his 
hypothesis in South Norwalk, with the 
backing of the people and the best type of 
business men as his associate commis- 
sioners in the upbuilding of this enter- 
prise. The resulting plant owned by the 
city, as previously mentioned, was de- 
signed by him, even to the details of its 
business methods, its system of rates and 
accounting, and has always been under 
his charge. From every point of view and 
from its earliest existence this plant has 
made good. Not only has it expanded to 
many times its original size, but it is 
famous all over the country for its long 
continued undeniable success, and be- 
cause it paid up its entire investment of 
borrowed capital, of over two hundred 
thousand dollars, with interest, from its 
own earned profits and has never cost the 
citizens one cent of taxation, but has paid 
money into the municipal treasury in- 
stead. 

That Mr. Winchester is not biased as 
to ownership of public utilities is evident 



253 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



from the fact that while busy pushing the 
South Norwalk municipal plant to suc- 
cess, he was also busy in the same way as 
president of the private water and electric 
service company, in the adjoining town of 
Westport. Mr. Winchester holds that 
public ownership has a legitimate field of 
its own, and that no well conducted pri- 
vate enterprise in the same line that gives 
its community a square deal need fear 
civic competition. Public ownership, in 
his opinion, is the people's alternative of 
the present time against an unjust mo- 
nopoly armed with iniquitous power to 
force unsatisfactory service and unrea- 
sonable rates upon its following, simply 
because, being a monopoly, it can. He is 
confident that such abuse of dominion 
through lack of proper control — not the 
rule, and when evident is mostly the pub- 
lic's fault — will in a not remote to-mor- 
row compel society to assume its dormant 
power and demand irresistibly that pro- 
digous change be made in current laws, 
establishing equal, just and sufficient 
protection against infringements both 
ways, between publicly owned common 
weal and privately owned public service 
monopolies. 

To-day applied success is possibly our 
most convincing factor, representing its 
public ownership phase, on the one side, 
in the model South Norwalk plant, and 
on the other, private ownership in the 
progress of the Westport Company, both 
more or less influenced by the same mind. 

Mr. Winchester has said much upon the 
subject of public utilities, in print and 
from the lecture platform. He read a 
notable paper before the Conference of 
American Mayors, held at Philadelphia in 
November, 1914, covering the subject of 
municipal ownership of an electric plant 
as exemplified in the South Norwalk ven- 
ture. The paper was of such merit that 



it was published in the Annals of the 
American Society of Political and Social 
Science, in January, 1915. His advice has 
also been largely sought by both private 
undertakings engaged in public service, 
and by municipalities that he has become 
known for his broad judgment through- 
out the United States, as a safe authority 
on public service problems. His mother's 
charge, "My son, be a good citizen," has 
been Mr. Winchester's inspiration since 
boyhood. 

Many who know the subject of this 
sketch call him "Colonel." Mr. Winches- 
ter claims no title to military rank. Some 
time previous to the Spanish-American 
War, he served as confidential adviser to 
agents of the Cuban revolutionists in 
electrical and engineering matters, with 
particular regard to the laying of mines. 
Having been in Cuba, and speaking Span- 
ish, and heartily in sympathy with the 
struggle for "Cuba Libre," he was se- 
lected as a member of a proposed military 
engineering corps, with the rank of col- 
onel, to be sent to Cuba. As the United 
States had not at that time become in- 
volved in Cuba's struggle, Mr. Winches- 
ter declined the appointment, in the inter- 
est of maintaining neutrality, but many 
friends still apply the title, much to his 
embarrassment. 

Mr. Winchester has been married twice. 
His first wife, to whom he was married 
on October 24, 1888, was Carrie Augusta 
Davenport Whitlock, daughter of Augus- 
tus Whitlock, in whose academy Mr. 
Winchester had prepared for college. 
She died childless on September 24, 1894. 
Mr. Winchester married for his second 
wife, February 1, 1896, Elizabeth Grant 
Bray, who was born in Lincroft, New 
Jersey, April 8, 1876, daughter of David 
H. and Stella C. (Van Schoick) Bray. He 
was a farmer for manv vears in the vicin- 



254 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



ity of Red Bank, New Jersey. This union 
has been blessed with the following chil- 
dren : I. Louis Dennie, born August 4, 
1897, died July 2, 1898. 2. Herbert Dav- 
enport, born July 30, 1900; he left the 
freshman class at Stevens Institute of 
Technology to enlist as a volunteer in the 
United States army, 1918; he was not 
sent overseas, but was honorably dis- 
charged from the service in 1919 and 
returned to college. 3. Edward Van 
Schoick, born July 8, 1901 ; at the age of 
seventeen he tried three times to enlist 
in the United States navy, but was re- 
jected on account of his youth ; he took 
a position in the New York Division Su- 
perintendent's Office of the New York & 
New Haven Railroad Company. 

Mr. Winchester's favorite pursuits are 
the study and practice of those sciences 
involved in his vocation, the study of po- 
litical science, economics and philosophy. 
His patriotism is intense, which to his 
mind finds its best expression in rendering 
efficient public service for the sake of the 
results rather than for personal reward. 
He believes in constructive rather than 
destructive criticism ; in bringing har- 
mony out of confusion ; in attracting peo- 
ple to each other by showing the good 
that can always be found in everyone, if 
it is appealed to sympathetically; in set- 
tling disputes by man-to-man and heart- 
to- heart conferences ; in telling the good 
that can be told of others, with emphasis ; 
in helping the needy without their learn- 
ing the source of the benefaction. He is 
greatly interested in everything that per- 
tains to his fellow-man, and his special 
interest in boys finds an outlet to their 
advantage in his activities in connection 
with the Boy Scout movement, already 
referred to. Mr. Winchester is a strong 
believer in Divinity, and is convinced that 
all things are controlled and actuated by 



a positive, authentic, supreme purpose of 
concentrated right, which is perfect 
power and action eternal. Though non- 
sectarian in his own views, he honors and 
respects all creeds and those who en- 
deavor faithfully to live up to them. 



EMERY, Albert Hamilton, 

Celebrated Inventor. 

The derivation of names, which is al- 
ways an interesting study, proves that 
places of abode and occupation were the 
most frequent sources of their origin, but 
very often we find one derived from either 
a personal characteristic or similar qual- 
ity. The surname, Emery, is derived 
from Almeric, a Christian name signify- 
ing "of obscure origin." It was gradu- 
ally changed to the present English form 
and spelling. In the Italian it is Amerigo 
and is forever represented in the word 
"America." 

John Emery, founder of the American 
branch of the family, was born September 
29, 1598, in Hampshire, England, and was 
the son of John and Agnes Emery. On 
April 3, 1635, John (2) Emery sailed in 
the "James," of London, for Boston, Mas- 
sachusetts, landing on June 3, 1635. Soon 
after, he removed to Newbury, Massachu- 
setts, where he received a grant ; was 
made a freeman on June 2, 1641, and re- 
ceived a further grant on April 19, 1644. 
He served as selectman in 1661 ; as fence 
viewer in 1666; and as grand juryman in 
1666. He married (first) in England, 

Mary , who died in April, 1649, m 

Newbury. He married (second) Mrs. 
Mary (Shatswell) Webster. His death 
occurred in Newbury, November 3, 1683, 
and he was survived by his widow until 
April 28, 1694. 

Six generations later the father of Al- 
bert H. Emery was born and he was 
Samuel Emery, son of Joshua and Ruth 



255 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



(Nott) Emery, born July 14, 1792, and 
traveled in an ox-cart to Mexico, Oswego 
county, New York, at a time when there 
were but three houses in that settlement. 
Undeterred by this, however, he built 
the fourth house and made the place his 
home, following his calling, which was 
that of a farmer. He married (first) Jan- 
uary 2, 1820, Catherine Shepard, who was 
born August 19, 1795, in Alstead, New 
Hampshire, and died July 27, 1854. The 
death of Samuel Emery occurred January 
24, 1876, in Mexico, New York. He and 
his wife were members of the Presby- 
terian church. 

His son, Albert Hamilton Emery, was 
born June 21, 1834, in Mexico, New York, 
and was next to the youngest of eight 
children. He grew up accustomed to a 
farm environment, attending school dur- 
ing the summer and winter from the age 
of five years to that of ten, and also the 
two winters when he was eleven and 
twelve years old. From that time he at- 
tended school no more until the winter of 
185 1, when he studied for three months 
in the Mexico Academy, devoting special 
attention to surveying. He had been, 
meanwhile, employed on his father's 
farm. 

After studying surveying during the 
winter of 185 1, Mr. Emery worked at it 
throughout the following summer, and 
in the autumn of 1852 attended the acad- 
emy for another three months. In the 
winter of 1852-53 he taught a school in 
Union Settlement, and then engaged in 
surveying on a proposed Syracuse & Par- 
ishville railroad. He later worked at 
surveying on the proposed Oswego & 
Troy railroad. In the autumn of 1854 he 
returned home and made a copy of a map 
of Niagara Falls from the State Geologi- 
cal Survey. This map, which was a fine 
piece of draughtsmanship, was destined 
to play an important part in shaping Mr. 



Emery's career. In the autumn of 1854, 
desiring to perfect his knowledge of civil 
engineering, he entered the Rensselaer 
Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, 
studying for five or six weeks before 
the close of the winter session. The 
course covered a period of four years, but 
Mr. Emery was at the institute only a 
little over two years and a half, not in- 
cluding the year when he was absent on 
account of an attack of typhoid fever. In 

1858 he graduated with the degree of 
Civil Engineer in the first section of a 
class of forty-eight. He defrayed part 
of the expense of his course by teaching 
topographical drawing in the school, his 
pupils including the graduating class. 

The first professional work which en- 
gaged the attention of Mr. Emery was the 
erection of a church steeple in his native 
town of Mexico, New York. This was 
considered by local contractors almost 
impossible, but Mr. Emery did not find 
the task a difficult one. In the summer of 

1859 Mr. Emery went to Washington and 
took out two patents on cheese presses. 
In the fall of 1859 ne became acquainted 
with G. B. Lamar, of Savannah, Georgia, 
for whom he built a cotton packing press 
and also designed two compressors for 
compressing cotton. They had a capacity 
of two thousand bales in twenty hours 
with a pressure of five hundred tons on 
each bale, but Mr. Lamar's needs changed 
and the compressors were never built. 
Later Mr. Emery formed a partnership 
with Mr. Lamar, by the terms of which 
he was to furnish the patents and Mr. 
Lamar the money to build and sell cotton 
packing presses and compresses. This 
was in the autumn of 1859. The first press 
was built in Brooklyn, whence it was 
shipped South. They were planning to 
put one hundred agents in the field, but 
Mr. Lamar was conscious of the fast ap- 
proaching upheaval and desired to pro- 



256 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



ceed slowly with their enterprise until 
after the next presidential election. Mr. 
Emery, not being willing to wait a year 
for the turn of political events, returned 
home and during the summer built cheese 
presses on his own account. 

In the autumn of 1861 Mr. Emery 
asked Professor Drown, of the Rensselaer 
Polytechnic Institute, for a letter to the 
Secretary of War, Mr. Cameron. Edwin 
D. Morgan was then governor of New 
York and he also gave Mr. Emery a letter 
to Mr. Cameron. Mr. Emery was desir- 
ous of obtaining a position as engineer 
in the army, a position which could ordi- 
narily be held only by a West Point 
graduate. Mr. Emery obtained an inter- 
view with General Richard Delafield, who 
had charge of all the fortifications in the 
State of New York. General Delafield 
requested Mr. Emery to make copies of 
drawings of all these forts for him, which 
he did. He also made drawings of several 
batteries of field guns for the United 
States Government which were built un- 
der the superintendance of Mr. Emery 
and paid for by the State of New York. 
From 1861 for several years Mr. Emery 
spent much time experimenting on guns 
and projectiles for the War Department. 
Mr. Emery designed several sizes of pro- 
jectiles, submitted his plans to Admiral 
Dahlgren, and made a number of projec- 
tiles for several sizes of naval guns, Lieu- 
tenant Mitchell having charge of firing 
them. During this time Mr. Emery was 
also making cotton presses and had em- 
barked in a venture to extract materials 
from southern light wood or fat pine. He 
worked out and patented a process by 
which from one cord of that wood the 
following products were obtained : Forty- 
three gallons of turpentine, two barrels 
of tar, one barrel of pitch, twenty-five 
barrels of charcoal, five thousand cubic 
feet of illuminating gas, six hundred gal- 



lons of crude pyroligneous acid. Before 
the enterprise could get well under way 
the works were burned and with no in- 
surance, so he was without funds to re- 
build them. This was an early attempt to 
utilize by-products which has since come 
into such general use in many industries, 
but at this time (1865) was much ahead 
of common practice. 

The next important work undertaken 
by Mr. Emery was the designing of a 
new system of scales. Mr. Philo Reming- 
ton, of Ilion, New York, advanced the 
money to build the first three scales un- 
der this system, which, as has been most 
truly and forcibly observed, was one of 
the first great stones in the foundation of 
Mr. Emery's fame. These three scales 
were built in the Remington shops. One 
of them was set up and loaded with seven 
thousand pounds of iron. Its capacity 
was twenty thousand pounds and with a 
load of seven thousand pounds it was sen- 
sitive to one-half an ounce. In 1873 Mr. 
Emery met Mr. William Sellers, who was 
reputed to be one of the best mechanical 
engineers of his day. He saw him in 
Philadelphia and showed him his scale 
drawings. Mr. Sellers became much in- 
terested, especially in one feature of the 
invention, the absence of knife edges, 
these scales differing in this from the 
ordinary balance or scale which has knife 
edges which are rapidly injured by wear 
and rust. Mr. Sellers was a manufac- 
turer of machine tools and it was he who 
introduced Mr. Emery to Mr. J. H. 
Towne, father of Henry R. Towne, who 
later became famous as the head of the 
Yale & Towne Manufacturing Company. 
Mr. Emery said it would require $800,000 
to develop the manufacture of these scales 
in the way he contemplated. 

Meanwhile, Mr. Emery had designed a 
great one-thousand-ton testing machine to 
go to Seller's bridge works. There was 



Conn— 8— 17 



257 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



a delay in closing the negotiations, and 
Mr. Emery returned home. Mr. Sellers 
introduced Mr. Emery to Colonel Laid- 
ley, of the Ordnance Bureau of the War 
Department. He met him at the Reming- 
ton Armory in Ilion, New York, by ap- 
pointment and gave him a demonstration 
with the scales that he had there. As a 
result Mr. Emery was asked by the Ord- 
nance Department to design a large test- 
ing machine while Colonel Laidley was 
investigating the testing machines of this 
country and Europe. He then designed 
a system of testing machines, from little 
ones to big ones. While he was working 
on these designs, Colonel Laidley re- 
turned from Europe and gave him an 
order for a four-hundred-ton machine. 
This was on December 23, 1874. 

In February, 1875, Mr. Emery was 
called to Washington and there met Gen- 
eral Benet, chief of the Ordnance Depart- 
ment. It was decided to try to get an 
increased appropriation from Congress, 
which was obtained to cover additional 
work, and President Grant appointed a 
board to take charge of the matter and to 
this board Mr. Emery's designs were sub- 
mitted. The supervision of the contract 
was turned over to the board, Colonel 
Laidley acting as its president. Parts of 
the machine were built in different places, 
the whole being assembled at the Water- 
town Arsenal. In order to build this test- 
ing machine it was necessary to design a 
number of new and novel machines, one 
of these being a twenty-ton scale to 
standardize some weights with which to 
calibrate the testing machine. When this 
was finally tested with a load of forty- 
five thousand pounds, it was found to be 
sensitive to half an ounce under all loads. 
This demonstration greatly delighted the 
board. The completion of the testing 
machine was delayed by various difficul- 
ties, but in 1879 ^ was finished, and in 



1880 went into government use, constitut- 
ing a wonderful monument to the genius 
of the inventor. 

When this machine was tested by the 
board for acceptance, a bar of iron, having 
a section of twenty square inches, was 
pulled in two with a tension load of 
722,800 pounds, and immediately follow- 
ing, two horse hairs were tested, one 
breaking with a load of one pound and 
the other with a load of one and three- 
quarter pounds. This second hair was 
tested on a small dynamometer and broke 
with the same load of one and three- 
fourths pounds, showing the great sensi- 
tiveness of this large machine, which in 
1920 was as sensitive as ever, and is still 
in service. The testing machine while in 
operation at the arsenal in 1881 was con- 
sidered part of the exhibits of the Massa- 
chusetts Charitable Mechanic Association 
Fair, held in Boston, on Huntington ave- 
nue, and as such was awarded a large gold 
medal of honor, which cost $500 and was 
awarded for "That exhibit most condu- 
cive to human welfare." A second gold 
medal was at the same time also awarded 
Mr. Emery on this same machine for 
"The best scientific apparatus." 

In 1882 Mr. Emery moved from 
Chicopee, Massachusetts, to Stamford, 
Connecticut, and the Yale & Towne Man- 
ufacturing Company took up the manu- 
facture of his scales, gauges and testing 
machines, and three one-hundred-and- 
fifty-thousand-pound, and two three-hun- 
dred-thousand-pound testing machines, 
for tension, compression and transverse 
loads, were constructed. One of these 
went to the University of Toronto, an- 
other to McGill University of Montreal, 
and one to the University of Vienna. One 
of the large ones went to the Cambria 
Iron and Steel Works in Johnstown, 
Pennsylvania, and the other to the Beth- 
lehem Steel Company. 



25? 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Later the Yale & Towne Manufacturing 
Company, to whom Mr. Emery had sold 
his patents, disposed of them in turn to 
William Sellers & Company. Mr. Sellers 
designed a fifty-ton testing machine 
which was built under Mr. Emery's pat- 
ents and placed in the Watertown Arse- 
nal, Watertown, Massachusetts, where 
Mr. Emery's large machine was already 
in use. Under these patents machines 
were also built by William Sellers & 
Company for several of the technical 
schools and colleges in the United States 
and Europe. The War Department ex- 
hibited one of these machines in the Gov- 
ernment Building at the Columbia Expo- 
sition in Chicago in 1893, the machine 
afterward going to Sibley College, Cornell 
University. 

After the Yale & Towne Manufactur- 
ing Company sold his patents to William 
Sellers & Company, Mr. Emery resigned 
his position with them and resumed the 
designing of cannon and projectiles in 
which he had been interested during the 
Civil War. He designed a gun carriage 
for a twelve-inch rifle for the War De- 
partment under the supervision of the 
Board of Ordnance and Fortifications. 
This design was never completed for the 
reason that its construction required more 
money than had been appropriated. 
While with the Yale & Towne Manufac- 
turing Company he designed and built 
a car dynamometer for the Pennsylvania 
Railroad Company to make autographic 
records of the drawbar pull of locomo- 
tives, the dynamometer having a capacity 
of 28,000 pounds. Several years later, in 
1902, he was asked by Mr. Vogt, me- 
chanical engineer of the Pennsylvania 
railroad, to consider designing and con- 
structing another dynamometer for them, 
as the old one was entirely inadequate to 
measure the loads given by the increased 
size of locomotives. 



Mr. Emery was confined to his room 
with a broken knee cap at that time, but 
decided he could undertake the work, and 
he designed and built a car dynamometer 
of 100,000 pounds capacity, the Pennsyl- 
vania railroad designing and building the 
car therefor. The dynamometer was put 
into service in 1906 and is still in service. 
In the meantime the continued growth 
of locomotives and the introduction of the 
electric locomotive have made the ca- 
pacity of this instrument inadequate, and 
at present (1920) Mr. Emery is rebuilding 
certain parts of this machine to increase 
its capacity to measure 150,000 pounds 
drawbar pull instead of 100,000 pounds. 
In order to calibrate this instrument it 
was necessary to have a very accurate 
method of measuring hydraulic pressure, 
and he designed and constructed an ap- 
paratus for measuring hydraulic pressure 
up to 3,000 pounds per square inch, sensi- 
tive to 0.005 pound per square inch. In 
order to adjust the weights for this ma- 
chine a special scale, having very great 
accuracy and sensitiveness, was con- 
structed, using "Emery" plate fulcrums 
instead of knife edges. Later an im- 
proved form of this apparatus, having a 
capacity of 4,000 pounds per square inch, 
was built by him for the Bureau of Stand- 
ards. 

The next important undertaking which 
engaged the attention of Mr. Emery was 
the construction of two testing machines 
for the Bureau of Standards in Washing- 
ton. One was for loads of 230,000 pounds 
tension and compression, and the other 
for loads of 1,150,000 pounds tension and 
2,300,000 pounds compression, on speci- 
mens of any length up to thirty-three feet. 
While building these machines, Mr. 
Emery also constructed a machine to 
calibrate testing machines, which was in- 
stalled in his laboratory in Glenbrook, 
Connecticut. The calibrating machine is 



259 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



for loads of 4,000,000 pounds and it will 
show distinctly a variation of one pound 
in the load. The calibrating machine has 
eight twenty-five-hundred-pound stand- 
ard weights, each adjusted to a probable 
error of not more than one part in eight 
hundred thousand on the scale previously 
mentioned. 

These testing machines embodied im- 
provements over his earlier testing ma- 
chines, and contained a new form of 
"Emery" plate fulcrum, and the E. & T. 
Fairbanks & Company, of St. Johnsbury, 
Vermont, saw the machine and believed 
that these fulcrums could be adapted to 
railroad track scale, and working in con- 
junction with them and with the Penn- 
sylvania railroad, Mr. Emery designed 
and built such a scale, which was installed 
in Tyrone, Pennsylvania, and was entirely 
successful in its operations. The scale 
was redesigned to embody certain fea- 
tures which were developed in the con- 
struction and test of the first scale, and 
this design was adopted by the Penn- 
sylvania railroad as their standard for 
track scales, and is built by them in their 
own shops and also by the E. & T. Fair- 
banks & Company in St. Johnsbury, Ver- 
mont. 

During the first year of its use eighty 
million tons were weighed on this scale, 
which was located in Tyrone, Pennsyl- 
vania, without impairing in the least its 
sensitiveness or accuracy, whole trains 
passing over the scale at the rate of four 
miles an hour, each of the cars being 
weighed separately without stopping the 
train. Besides these trains which were 
weighed, many thousand more cars 
passed over that scale the first year for 
classification, and over seven thousand 
locomotives also passed over it. At the 
end of the year the scale was retested and 
pronounced as accurate as when first set 
up. 



In the winter 1910-11 Mr. Emery de- 
signed a track scale testing car for the 
United States Bureau of Standards. That 
car carries 100,000 pounds of standard 
weights and goes all over the United 
States testing the track scales of the rail- 
roads and industries. Mr. Emery con- 
structed a model of it, one-twelfth of the 
regular size, for the United States Bureau 
of Standards, for them to exhibit at the 
San Francisco Exposition. A second car, 
also equipped with 100,000 pounds of 
standard weights, was built for the Bu- 
reau of Standards in 1915. Eight of these 
weights, each weighing 10,000 pounds, 
were adjusted to one part of 1,000,000. 
The Department of Agriculture had him 
design and build for them a scale that 
would weigh a hive of bees in one room, 
the weighing being done in another room. 
The temperature of the inner room be- 
ing maintained within one-tenth of a 
degree for long periods, to determine the 
temperature at which a colony of bees 
would eat the least honey. For the 
United States Bureau of Standards, Mr. 
Emery has built a set of test levers of 
50,000 pounds capacity for calibrating 
testing machines. 

Very early in his study of the construc- 
tion of ordnance, Mr. Emery conceived 
the idea of constructing guns by hydrau- 
licly expanding either a single forging or 
a series of concentric forgings, by the use 
of hydraulic pressure on the interior, thus 
putting the required initial strains into 
the metal instead of by the method of 
shrinking one part onto another. This 
also raises the elastic limit of the metal, 
and guns so made are much stronger than 
when the parts are shrunk together. 
These ideas were embodied in patents 
taken out by him both in this country and 
in many foreign countries. He tried 
many times to interest the gun manufac- 
turers and the War and Navy depart- 



260 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



ments in this process, but was unable to 
do so until in 1918 the Navy Department 
authorized the construction by him of a 
four-inch gun. This was hydraulicly ex- 
panded, using hydraulic pressures up to 
107,000 pounds per square inch, and tests 
of this gun have fully proved the value 
of his process. A pressure of 40,000 
pounds per square inch gave the original 
forging a permanent deformation, but 
after the process was completed it re- 
quired 75,000 pounds per square inch to 
give an additional permanent deforma- 
tion. This process has been adopted by 
the Navy Department for small guns 
(3" to 6") and in time will probably be 
adopted for large guns also. This process 
will enable the gun builder to construct 
a gun which will be lighter and stronger 
than the present gun, in less time, from 
very much less ingot metal, and with very 
much less machinery, reducing the cost 
20% to 30%. Eventually the government 
will probably save large amounts of 
money by this invention, but unfortun- 
ately for Mr. Emery his patents will have 
expired before any considerable applica- 
tion can be made. 

During the World War Mr. Emery 
spent a large portion of his time in trying 
to get this process of gun construction 
adopted, and at the same time his labor- 
atory was building tools and various 
mechanisms for the government. While 
in Washington, in June, 1919, Mr. Emery 
was run over by an automobile, shattering 
one bone of his right arm, telescoping his 
left wrist, and badly breaking his ankle, 
but fortunately all the breaks healed well 
in spite of his advanced age, eighty-five 
years, and at present he spends some time 
at his office almost every day. 

Mr. Emery married, March 3, 1875, * n 
Westmoreland, Oneida county, New 
York, Mrs. Fannie B. Myers, a widow, 
born September 1, 1838. By her first 



marriage Mrs. Myers became the mother 
of a daughter, Margaret King, now the 
wife of George A. Clyde, of Rome, New 
York. Mr. and Mrs. Emery were the par- 
ents of a son, Albert Hamilton, Jr., born 
August 25, 1876, who was prepared for 
college in King's School, Stamford, and 
in 1898 graduated from Cornell Univer- 
sity with the degree of Mechanical Engi- 
neer. Since then he has been associated 
with his father in the latter's scientific 
work. Mr. Emery, Jr., married Julia E. 
McClune, of Ithaca, New York, and they 
have two children, Louise, born October 
7, 1905, and Albert Hamilton (3), born 
December 26, 1910. Mrs. Emery, Sr., 
passed away on April 28, 1907. 

It would seem from a study of his 
career that the predominant trait in the 
character of Albert Hamilton Emery, 
apart from his mechanical genius, has al- 
ways been a perseverance which never 
relaxed its efforts and a courage which 
refused to be daunted by any difficulties 
or disappointments, however great. We 
see this in the narrative of his earlier life, 
which shows how the various inventions 
on which he was then engaged formed a 
basis for the brilliant achievements of his 
later years, and how the obstacles which 
he encountered and the repeated discour- 
agements which it was his lot to endure 
did but stimulate him to renewed and 
larger efforts. In the States of New York, 
Massachusetts and Connecticut, the one 
his birthplace and the scene of his early 
endeavors, and the others for many years 
the centers of his greatest renown, his 
fame is and always will be most inti- 
mately cherished. In a larger sense his 
native land feels that he belongs to her, 
but even by her he cannot be wholly 
claimed. His name will go down in his- 
tory as that of one of the world's in- 
ventors. 



261 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



ALLEN, Lauren M., 

Phyaician. 

A physician who for twenty-seven years 
has practiced successfully in the same 
community becomes so inseparably asso- 
ciated with its most vital interests as to 
render the narrative of his career almost 
identical with a history of his home town. 
This is especially true of Dr. Allen, whose 
professional reputation, high as it is, is 
almost equalled by that which he enjoys 
as a public-spirited citizen of South Nor- 
walk. 

The name of Allen, or Allin, is derived 
from the British, and is thought to be a 
corruption of Aelianus, which signifies 
sun-bright. It is also said to come from 
the root word Al, meaning mountainous, 
high and bright. In the Gaelic it signifies 
fair, handsome, the word being Aliune, 
and the Irish Alun has the same meaning. 
The English Allan, or Allen, said to have 
been first spelled Alan, means all-con- 
quering. As a personal name it was first 
borne by the Bard of Britain, an uncle of 
Caractacus, who had a long line of kings 
for ancestors. The name came into prom- 
inence after the Conquest, the chief gen- 
eral of William's army at the battle of 
Hastings having been Alan, Duke of 
Brittany, who made England his home 
and became the third richest man in the 
kingdom. Thenceforth the name grew in 
number and importance. 

(I) George Allen, born in 1568, in Eng- 
land, came to America in 1635 and settled 
in Saugus, Lynn, Massachusetts. In 
1637 he joined with Edmund Freeman 
and others in the purchase of the town- 
ship of Sandwich, and settled there in the 
same year. When the town of Sandwich 
was incorporated he was chosen deputy, 
the first office in the town, and served in 
that capacity for several years. He is rep- 



resented by Bowden as having been an 
anti-Baptist in England, but be that as it 
may, he was a member of the church in 
Sandwich, and Rev. Benjamin Fessenden 
reports both George and Ralph Allen as 
having been previously members of the 
church in Roxbury. George, Allen was 
the father of ten sons, some of whom pre- 
ceded him to America and settled near 
Boston. After the purchase of Sandwich, 
most of them with their families moved 
thither, and settled near their father's 
residence. George Allen died in Sand- 
wich, May 2, 1648. In his will, naming 
his wife, Catherine, as executrix, with 
Ralph Allen and Richard Brown as over- 
seers, he named his five sons, Matthew, 
Henry, Samuel, George, Jr., and William ; 
and also made provision for his "five least 
children" without naming them. 

In 1774 the Rev. Joseph Thaxter, of 
Edgartown, Massachusetts, whose wife 
was Mary Allen, a descendant of George 
Allen, obtained from England the de- 
scription of the coat-of-arms borne by the 
Aliens in the old country, which is as fol- 
lows : 

Arms — Sable shield. A cross potent with a 
border engrailed, or. 

Crest — A demi-lion argent, holding a rudder 
gules, hawks and nails or. 

Children of George and Catherine Al- 
len : 1. Samuel, went to Braintree ; left 
a will. 2. William, married, 1649, Pris- 
cilla Brown, daughter of Peter Brown, of 
the "Mayflower," and a signer of the 
Compact. He had no children. By his 
will, 12th month, 17, 1697, he devised his 
estate to his nephew, Daniel, son of his 
brother, George Allen, Jr., provided he 
maintained his widow Priscilla for her life. 
3. George, Jr., of whom further. 4. Ralph, 
married, 1643, Esther, daughter of Wil- 
liam and Jane Swift, died 1698. 5. Mathew, 
married, June, 1657, Sarah Kirby ; re- 



262 





, Cll&^^k,^ 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



moved to Dartmouth. 6. Henry, re- 
moved to Milford, 1666, died at Stratford, 
1690. 7. Francis, married, July 20, 1662, 
Mary Barlow, and left six daughters. 8. 
James, died July 25, 1714, at Tisbury. 9. 
Gideon, removed to Milford, Connecticut. 
10. Thomas (probably). 11. Judah, bur- 
ied at Sandwich, February, 1649. 12. 
Caleb, buried at Sandwich, June 27, 1647. 
The sons William, George, Mathew, 
Ralph and Francis, died at Sandwich, 
Massachusetts, and left wills proved and 
recorded. 

(II) George Allen, Jr., son of George 
and Catherine Allen, was born in 1619. 
He is mentioned as liable to bear arms in 
Sandwich in 1643. 

(III) Daniel Allen, son of George Al- 
len, Jr., was born in Sandwich, Massachu- 
setts, in 1663. He and his wife, Beth- 
sheba, were the parents of Gideon. 

(IV) Gideon Allen, son of Daniel and 
Bethsheba Allen, was born in May, 1686, 
and died June 25, 1750. The Sandwich 
records mention the removal of Gideon to 
Milford, and the Milford records give 
Gideon of Milford and later the same 
Gideon as living in Fairfield, and if it 
were not for the early age of Gideon when 
Joseph was born, the line would seem 
clearly established. Children of Gideon 
Allen : Joseph, of whom further ; Eben- 
ezer, married, November 12, 1731, De- 
borah Bennett ; John, married, January 
17, 1750, Abigail Jessup ; David, married, 
October 11, 1739, Sarah Gold. 

(V) Joseph Allen, son of Gideon Allen, 
was born June 25, 1702. He married 
Rachel Bennett, and they were the par- 
ents of: Joseph (2), born February 16, 
1725; Hannah, born September 20, 1727; 
Rachel, born July 28, 1728; Elnathan, 
born June 23, 1729; Mary, born August 
24, 1732; Thomas, born July 2, 1733; 
Mary (twin of Thomas) ; John, born June 
16, 1736; Benjamin, of whom further. 



(VI) Benjamin Allen, son of Joseph 
and Rachel (Bennett) Allen, was born 
October 4, 1743, and died March 27, 1827. 
At one time he owned land on the east 
side of the Saugatuck river, extending 
from the sound to Ball Mountain and in- 
land about one mile. He is buried in 
Greens Farms Cemetery, Westport, Con- 
necticut. A sister of Dr. Allen now 
(1921) resides on part of the original Al- 
len estate. Benjamin Allen married 
Rhoda Allen, daughter of John Allen. 

(VII) Delancey Allen, son of Benja- 
min and Rhoda (Allen) Allen, was born 
February 24, 1783, in Westport, died 
there, November 17, 1833, and is buried in 
Greens Farms Cemetery. He married, 
February 10, 1805, Cloe Fillow, daughter 
of Isaac and Adah (Waterbury) Fillow. 
The Fillows descend from John Fillow, 
who came with the French Huguenots 
sometime in the seventeenth century. 

(VIII) Isaac Allen, son of Delancey 
and Cloe (Fillow) Allen, was born Feb- 
ruary 15, 1812, in Westport, where he re- 
ceived his education in the public schools. 
He learned the carpenter's trade, and 
after working for a time- as a journeyman, 
went into business for himself as a con- 
tractor and builder. This business he 
conducted successfully until advancing 
years forced him to retire. Mr. Allen 
married, June 21, 1838, Eunice Ann Mur- 
ray, daughter of Seymour and Ann Eliz- 
abeth Seckler (Elsworth) Murray, the 
former practically all his life a master me- 
chanic in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. That 
was in the days of wooden men-of-war. 
The Elsworths were of English descent, 
and the Murrays (MacMurrays) of Scotch 
descent. Mr. and Mrs. Allen were the 
parents of the following children : Ann 
Elizabeth Murray, deceased ; Armenia, 
married Rev. R. S. Putney, of Westport; 
Orlando I., of Westport, now deceased ; 
Emma Louise, who married Theodore 



263 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Allen, of Westport; Isabella, who mar- 
ried Charles Augur, of New Haven ; Lau- 
ren M., mentioned below; and Elmer E., 
of Westport. Isaac Allen and his wife 
were both very active members of the 
Methodist Episcopal church. 

(IX) Lauren M. Allen, son of Isaac 
and Eunice Ann (Murray) Allen, was 
born June 12, 1857, in Westport, and re- 
ceived his preparatory education in the 
public schools of his native town. In 
1880 he received from the College of Phy- 
sicians and Surgeons of New York the 
degree of Doctor of Medicine. After 
serving for a time as an interne in 
Bellevue Hospital, Mr. Allen opened 
an office in Brooklyn, New York, and 
for twelve years practiced in that 
city. In 1893 he moved to South Nor- 
walk, where, in the course of a few 
years, he established himself as one of the 
leading physicians of the community. He 
is a member of the staff of the Norwalk 
Hospital, and also conducts a flourishing 
private practice. The professional organ- 
izations in which he is enrolled include 
the Norwalk Medical Association, the 
County and State Medical societies, and 
the American Medical Association. 

In the business world Dr. Allen is rep- 
resented by his association with the John 
R. Wrigley Paper Box Company, Inc., 
being president of the company. He affil- 
iates with Old Well Lodge, No. 108, Free 
and Accepted Masons; and Butler Chap- 
ter, Royal Arch Masons, both of South 
Norwalk ; also with Clinton Command- 
ery, Knights Templar, of Norwalk ; and 
Pyramid Temple, Nobles of the Mystic 
Shrine, of Bridgeport. 

Dr. Allen married (first) October 8, 
1879, Kate M. Shaffer, daughter of James 
Edward and Mary Eliza (Bennett) Shaf- 
fer, of Brooklyn, and they became the par- 
ents of one daughter : Katherine Charleta, 



now the wife of Carl D. Mexcur, of 
Bloomfield, Connecticut, and mother of 
three children : Anna, Carl, and George. 
Dr. Allen married (second) January 14, 
1918, Helen Becker, daughter of Frank C. 
and Amelia Frances (Grupe) Becker, of 
South Norwalk. Dr. and Mrs. Allen are 
members of the Congregational church. 

The career of Dr. Allen has been fruit- 
ful. He is numbered among the most 
esteemed citizens of his home community, 
and his professional record is rich in re- 
sults of genuine and enduring value. 



BELDEN, Charles Denison, 

Broker, Man of Fine Tastes. 

Many thoughts of the past will be 
awakened by the appearance of this name, 
and impressions, so deep that time has 
been powerless to efface them, will glow 
with almost pristine freshness as the 
minds of old friends and former business 
associates revert to events and scenes of 
bygone years. Throughout the long 
period during which Mr. Belden was a 
figure of prominence in the brokerage cir- 
cles of Wall street, New York, he re- 
mained a citizen of Stamford, Connecti- 
cut, ever maintaining an unwavering and 
helpful interest in the advancement of all 
that could minister to the welfare and 
progress of his home community. The 
name of Belden is an extremely ancient 
one, and with the lapse of centuries has 
assumed a great variety of forms. Those 
which have been, at different periods, in 
use in the New England branch, are 
Bayldon, Belden, and Belding. This last 
form is very erroneous and has been 
wholly discarded by certain lines. 

Bayldon Manor was in the Angle king- 
dom of Deira, — hence came the immortal 
youths seen by Saint Gregory at Rome, 
and at the sight of whom he exclaimed, 



264 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



non Angli, sed Atvgeli! Bayldon has been 
the seat of the family of that name since 
a period prior to the reign of King John, 
and ever since the Norman Conquest it 
has been a chapelry in the West Riding 
of Yorkshire. Bayldon Hall is not far 
away and is still in a good state of preser- 
vation. The fact that it stands on an emi- 
nence seems to render probable the idea 
that the family name may be derived from 
Bael, or Bel, meaning fire, a flame, or the 
sun, and Don, a hill, and that the hill on 
which Bayldon Manor stands may have 
been selected for one of those on which 
sacrificial fires were burned in honor of 
Bael. The fact that high places were 
chosen for these fires seems to render this 
idea more probable than the one which 
assumes that the name signifies merely a 
beacon hill. The family, since our earliest 
knowledge of it, has been distinguished in 
English history. 

Richard Bayldon, founder of the New 
England branch of the race, was born in 
Yorkshire, England, and in 1635 settled at 
Wethersfield, Connecticut. He died in 
1655, and many of his numerous descend- 
ants have won fame and honor in both 
civil and military life. The Bayldon 
escutcheon, like most others, has varia- 
tions, the form displayed by the descend- 
ants of Richard Bayldon being the fol- 
lowing : 

Arms — A fesse between three fleur-de-lis sable. 
Motto — God my leader. 

It is worthy of note that the motto ap- 
pears to be peculiar to the coat-of-arms 
of the New England branch. 

David Belden, father of Charles Deni- 
son Belden, was born at East Haddam, 
Connecticut, and in his infancy was de- 
prived, by death, of his father. He was 
taken by his widowed mother to New 
York City, and as he grew to manhood 
entered business life. In partnership with 



his brother-in-law, George Brainerd, he 
conducted a flourishing wholesale gro- 
cery concern, retiring a number of years 
before his death. As a young man Mr. 
Belden was a member of the Militia Regi- 
ment, which was the forerunner of the 
famous Seventh. He married Catherine 
Louisa Brush, whose family record is ap- 
pended to this biography. 

Charles Denison Belden, son of David 
and Catherine Louisa (Brush) Belden, 
was born January 9, 1844, in New York 
City, and received his education in the pri- 
vate school of Clark & Fanning. Inherit- 
ing from his father an inclination for the 
active career of an executant, he early con- 
nected himself with the grocery business. 
It was not long, however, before he was 
drawn, by his taste and aptitude for fi- 
nance, into the arena of Wall street, 
where, as a stock broker, he found full 
scope for his talents. He was a man 
whose word carried weight and as the 
years went on, his fund of experience and 
the honorable success which he had 
achieved caused his advice to be fre- 
quently sought by young men entering 
upon the active work of life, and also by 
older men who found themselves in need 
of counsel in relation to some problem of 
unusual difficulty. A few years before his 
death he retired, being ably succeeded by 
his son. 

As may be supposed, the strenuous life 
of a Wall street broker left Mr. Belden 
little leisure for orders or fraternities. 
His only association of that nature was 
with the New York Society of the Sons 
of the Revolution. In his youth he was 
actively interested in athletics and as he 
grew older, hunting and fishing became 
his favorite recreations. Withal, he was 
a man of literary tastes, spending some of 
his happiest hours in his library. 

Mr. Belden married Sarah R. Allen, 



265 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



whose ancestral record is appended to 
this biography, and they became the par- 
ents of three children : Edith, born April 
26, 1872, wife of Charles W. Palmer, of 
New York City ; Agnes, born February 
10, 1873, married George D. Arthur, also 
of New York City, and has one child, 
George D. (3) ; and William Allen, born 
June 11, 1875, an d now, for some years, 
the successor of his father in business. 

About twenty years ago, it being the 
desire of Mrs. Belden to make her sum- 
mer home in Connecticut, she was author- 
ized by her husband to select a site and 
to make all the arrangements necessary 
for the erection of a residence. She fin- 
ally purchased a plot on Wallack's Point, 
in the town of Stamford, one of the most 
beautiful spots on the Connecticut shore, 
and there built a spacious and attractive 
mansion, which reflects a strong indi- 
viduality and a fine sense of proportion. 
One of the most important elements in 
her influence was her love for the natural 
beauties of the place and her care for 
their preservation. In order to save a fine 
tree she had a U-shaped niche built into 
the house, thus giving it room for growth. 
Mr. Belden was a man of exceptionally 
strong domestic attachments, appreciat- 
ing nothing so highly as an atmosphere of 
family affection and fireside happiness. 

It was not, however, in his beautiful 
Connecticut home, that Mr. Belden 
"ceased from earth," but in Montreal, 
Canada, where, on February 12, 1912, he 
passed quietly away. From the old city 
of the North, rich in historic associations, 
the sad tidings came to his beloved Stam- 
ford, bringing to many hearts profound 
sorrow for the loss of one whose daily 
life among them had given an example of 
every private virtue even as his course in 
the turmoil of the world of business had 
been one of undeviating rectitude and 
stainless integrity. 



A career like that of Charles Denison 
Belden is independent of comment. Its 
unadorned record has a simple and con- 
vincing eloquence far transcending the 
language of eulogy. 

(The Brush Line). 

This name, which is another form of 
Broom or Broome, is, perhaps, derived 
from the German brusch, meaning a 
broom. Some claim that it is an angli- 
cized form of Plantagenet (planta genista), 
but it is, more probably, a local designa- 
tion derived from one of the parishes so- 
called in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk. 
Stafford, Bedford, and Durham. Robert 
de Brus went with William the Con- 
queror to England, where the name of 
his son Robert was changed to Bruce. 
This, some say, was the origin of the 
Brush, Bruse, Bruce and Bush families. 

Branches of the Brush family were 
early transplanted to Massachusetts and 
Long Island, and also to Westchester 
county. New York. Everywhere have the 
members proved themselves worthy citi- 
zens, valuable, in the different walks of 
life, to their respective communities. 

(I) Caleb Brush was born in West- 
chester county, and was engaged in busi- 
ness on Grove street, New York City. He 
married Eleanor Van Tassel (see Van 
Tassel family), the original of the fas- 
cinating Katrina Van Tassel, the cele- 
brated heroine of the "Legend of Sleepy 
Hollow," perhaps the best known of those 
charming tales from the pen of Wash- 
ington Irving, whose genius has clothed 
with an atmosphere of romance, the banks 
of the Hudson from New York to Albany. 

(II) Joshua, son of Caleb and Eleanor 
(Van Tassel) Brush, was engaged in the 
lumber business. He married Lucretia 
Keesler, of New York City. 

(III) Catherine Louisa, daughter of 
Joshua and Lucretia (Keesler) Brush, be- 



266 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



came the wife of David Belden, as stated 
above. 

(The Van Tassel Family). 

The original form of this name was Van 
Taxel, derived from the designation of the 
place in Holland, which was the native 
home of this heroic race. It is easily seen 
that the correct orthography has only one 
"1" and it is thus that the name is spelled 
by Irving, the historian and eulogist of 
this gallant family. 

The Van Tassels came by marriage into 
possession of Wolfert's Roost, the house 
which was built by Wolfert Ecker, and 
which became, nearly two centuries later, 
the home of Washington Irving, by whom 
the estate was rechristened "Sunnyside." 

At the time of the Revolutionary War 
Wolfert's Roost, or, as it was then called, 
the Van Tassel house, was owned by 
Jacob Van Tassel, a renowned patriot, 
who turned his house into a garrison and 
became the leader of a band of sturdy 
warriors, recruited from the neighboring 
farms, who scoured the countryside by 
day and night, defending it from the Brit- 
ish and from the marauders who followed 
in the tracks of both armies. 

Abraham Van Tassel was the father of 
the immortal Katrina, whose kinswoman, 
Eleanor Van Tassel, became the wife of 
Caleb Brush (see Brush family). 

(The Allen Line). 

This patronymic is derived from the 
personal name Alan, which was common 
in Norman times, and is thought by some 
to signify a hound, or wolf-dog. By 
others it is said to have been introduced 
into England in the Conqueror's time by 
Alan, Earl of Brittany, and to be equiva- 
lent to the Roman ^Elianus, sun-bright. 

(I) John Allen, who appears to have 
been the founder of the New York branch 
of the Allen family, is thought by some to 



have been born in Holland. If this be 
true, the family was probably Scottish 
and, like the Van Nesses, transplanted a 
branch to Holland in consequence of the 
persecutions of Charles the First. John 
Allen came to New York City and mar- 
ried Sabina Meyers who, as her name in- 
dicates, was of German parentage. Mr. 
Allen died when he was, comparatively, a 
young man. 

(II) Stephen, son of John and Sabina 
(Meyers) Allen, was born July 2, 1767, 
in New York City, and was a young child 
at the time of the death of his father. 
Mrs. Allen, however, was a noble woman 
and an ideal mother. She caused the boy 
to be educated in private schools of his 
native city, and throughout his childhood 
and youth was his wise counsellor as well 
as his loving parent. And richly was she 
compensated for her devotion, for her son 
developed into a noble man, filling with 
honor the highest municipal office in the 
gift of his fellow-citizens and leading 
them in all that made for reform and for 
true progress. Mr. Allen was apprenticed 
to the trade of sail-making and at fifteen 
was thrown on his own resources. In 
1787 he formed a partnership with 
Thomas Wilson, a sail-maker and a mem- 
ber of the Society of Friends, and in De- 
cember, 1791, went into business for him- 
self. So well established was his reputa- 
tion for integrity and fairdealing that he 
was popularly known as "Honest Stephen 
Allen." 

In 1812, Mr. Allen, who was then a 
wealthy merchant, joined a volunteer 
company and lent all the money he could 
spare from his business for the mainte- 
nance of war activities. On being con- 
sulted by a United States naval agent in 
regard to furnishing a supply of duck, he 
sold his whole stock to the government 
upon its own terms. The cessation of 



267 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



hostilities caused the treasury notes with ciety, the Mechanic and Scientific Institu- 



which the duck had been paid for to so 
increase in value that he realized a hand- 
some profit. 

In April, 1817, Mr. Allen was elected to 
the Common Council and in March, 1821, 
he became mayor of New York. He took 
a prominent part in the completion of the 
New York aqueduct. In April, 1824, he 
was appointed commissioner to visit the 
prisons in Auburn and in New York City 
and to report upon conditions and recom- 
mend changes. The result was the sale 
of the old prison in New York, and the 
erection of the State prison at Sing Sing. 

On November I, 1825, Mr. Allen retired 
from business, and in May, 1826, he was 
sent to the New York State Assembly. 
In 1829 he was elected Senator and, as 
such, served as a member of the court for 
the correction of errors. This was the 
first instance in which written opinions 
were given in the court of errors by a lay- 
man. 

In 1833 Mr. Allen was appointed one of 
the water commission for supplying New 
York with pure and wholesome water, 
and served as chairman of the committee. 
In 1840 he was relieved of the office of 
water commissioner by Governor Seward, 
for reasons purely political. Charles 
King said, in the "Memoir of the Croton 
Aqueduct :" "The chairman of the board, 
in particular, Stephen Allen, has left upon 
the work, from its commencement to the 
advanced stage in which he relinquished 
it to his successor, the stamp of his ener- 
getic character and strong, inquiring 
mind." All the public positions filled by 
Mr. Allen were unsolicited. In early life 
he was a Moravian in religious belief, but 
later became a member of the Presbyter- 
ian church. He was officially connected 
with many public institutions of New 
York City, including the Tammany So- 



tion, the New York Hospital and Lunatic 
Asylum and the New York Prison Disci- 
pline Society. 

Mr. Allen married (first) in 1788, 

Marschalk, and (second) in 1807, 

Sarah, daughter of Joseph and Mary 
(Coleridge) Roake. Mr. Roake came 
from one of the Channel Islands and his 
wife was a kinswoman of the author of 
"The Ancient Mariner." The marriage 
was, as seemed fitting, a romantic one, 
the lovers leaving England without the 
knowledge of their respective families and 
finding a home on the other side of the 
sea in the little village of Shrub Oak 
Plains, near Peekskill, New York. On 
July 28, 1852, Mr. Allen passed away, 
"full of years and of honors." It should 
always be remembered that he was the 
first man to propose bringing Croton 
water into the city of New York. So sane 
was he in his judgment and so impartial, 
that many people brought their differ- 
ences to him to arbitrate instead of tak- 
ing them into the courts. He was a 
wealthy man for the time in which he 
lived, and drew his own will. It is on 
record as a test will that could never be 
broken. 

(Ill) William M., son of Stephen and 
Sarah (Roake) Allen, was born in New 
York City, and graduated in the Law 
School of Columbia University, but never 
practised, his ample means enabling him 
to give his time and attention to more 
congenial pursuits. He was a man of 
broad culture, having literary tastes, and 
greatly interested in scientific subjects. 
In the maintenance and improvement of 
the public school system of his native city 
he rendered, for many years, valuable as- 
sistance. A subject in which he took the 
liveliest interest was the wonderful pos- 
sibilities of the microscope. Mr. Allen 



268 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



married Catherine Maria Leggett, whose 
ancestral record is herewith appended. 

(IV) Sarah R., daughter of William M. 
and Catherine Maria (Leggett) Allen, 
was born October 7, 1848, and became the 
wife of Charles Denison Belden, as stated 
above. 

(The Leggett Line). 

This name, which is sometimes spelled 
with only one "t," is derived from the 
Latin legatus, meaning a legate or ambas- 
sador. 

(I) Gabriel Leggett was born in 1635, 
probably in County Essex, England, and 
about 1670-76 came to Westchester 
county, New York. His home was at 
West Farms, and he was a landowner and 
merchant. He married, about 1676, Eliz- 
abeth, daughter of John and Martha Rich- 
ardson, the former, one of the original 
patentees of the Manor of West Farms. 
Gabriel Leggett died at some time prior 
to July, 1700. 

(II) John, eldest son of Gabriel and 
Elizabeth (Richardson) Leggett, married 
Cicily, daughter of Thomas Hunt, who 
was a son-in-law of Edward Jessup. The 
original grant of Hunt's Point was to 
Hunt and Jessup. 

(II) Gabriel (2), youngest child of Ga- 
briel (1) and Elizabeth (Richardson) 
Leggett, was born in 1697 or '98, at West 
Farms, and in his latter years moved to 
West Patent of North Castle, Westches- 
ter county. He was a landowner and held 
the office of alderman. He married (first) 

Bridget , and (second) in 1765, 

Mary Wiggins, who died before 1781. He 
married (third) in 1782, Sarah Brown, 
and his death occurred at West Farms, in 
April, 1786. 

(III) Thomas, son of Gabriel (2) and 

Bridget ( ) Leggett, was born June 

3, 1721, at West Farms. Prior to the Rev- 
olutionary War he bought a farm at Still- 
water, Saratoga county, New York, where 



most of his children were born. At the 
time of the battle of Saratoga, the dwell- 
ing and outbuildings, which were of logs, 
were within the Hessian redoubt, and at 
the approach of Burgoyne the family 
crossed the river to Easton, Washington 
county. Mr. Leggett married Mary Em- 
bree, who was born in 1723, and he and 
his family were the first of the name to be 
enrolled in the Society of Friends. They 
were founders of a Friends' Society at 
Stillwater. 

(IV) Thomas (2), son of Thomas (1) 
and Mary (Embree) Leggett, was born 
January 17, 1755, and, with his brother 
Isaac, was taken prisoner by the British 
and carried to the camp at Schuylerville, 
but escaped and returned home. Thomas 
Leggett lived in Westchester until 1836, 
when he removed to New York City. He 
married (first) in 1781, Mary, born in 
1762, daughter of Samuel and Rebecca 
Haight, of Flushing, Long Island. He 
married (second) in 1808, Mary Under- 
bill, who died in 1849. Mr. Leggett died 
in New York, October 10, 1843. 

(V) William Haight, son of Thomas 
(2) and Mary (Haight) Leggett. was 
born April 15, 1789, and was a merchant 
in New York City, a man of wealth for his 
day and generation. His home was at 
Rosebank, West Farms. He married, in 
1814, at the Brick Presbyterian Church, 
New York City, Margaret Wright, and 
his death occurred December 22, 1863. 

(VI) Catherine Maria, daughter of 
William Haight and Margaret (Wright) 
Leggett, became the wife of William M. 
Allen (see Allen line). 



WILCOX, Robert Mead, 

Financier. 

As vice-president and cashier of the 
Greenwich National Bank, no other in- 
troduction is necessary, nor would be, 



269 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



even were Mr. Wilcox's official position 
a less conspicuous one, as in any case 
his standing as a citizen would render him 
a "man of mark" in the community. 

(I) Josiah Wilcox, grandfather of Rob- 
ert Mead Wilcox, was a native of Crom- 
well, Connecticut, and removed to Riv- 
ersville, in the town of Greenwich, where 
he established himself as a manufacturer 
of carriages, hardware and tinsmith's 
tools, thus proving himself abundantly 
possessed of the initiative which he inher- 
ited, no doubt, from his New England 
ancestors. 

(II) Willis H. Wilcox, son of Josiah 
Wilcox, was born June 15, 1841, in Riv- 
ersville, Greenwich, Connecticut. He was 
educated in the Berlin, (Connecticut) 
Academy. After working for a time in a 
store in Berlin, he returned home where 
he was employed by his father. At the 
outbreak of the Civil War he enlisted in 
Company I, 10th Regiment, Connecticut 
Volunteer Infantry, and was three years 
with the army, receiving a wound while 
in the service. After the war he was asso- 
ciated in business with his father until the 
death of Mr. Wilcox, Sr., when Willis H. 
and his brother George succeeded to the 
ownership of the concern. Prior to the 
father's death the business was conducted 
under the firm name of J. Wilcox & Sons, 
the style being subsequently changed to 
J. Wilcox's Sons. Upon the death of 
George Wilcox, Willis H. Wilcox con- 
tinued the business for a short time. Mr. 
Wilcox was a director in the Greenwich 
National Bank, and president of the 
Greenwich Savings Bank. He was an 
adherent of the Republican party, and 
though never a politician was active as a 
young man in public affairs, occupying a 
seat in the Legislature for two terms, his 
reelection proving how ably and satisfac- 
torily he defended and advanced the 
rights of his constituents. He was a 



member of Lombard Post, No. 24, Grand 
Army of the Republic. Mr. Wilcox mar- 
ried Susan C. Mead, daughter of Edward 
and Susan (Merritt) Mead, and they be- 
came the parents of one son : Robert 
Mead, mentioned below. The death of 
Mr. Wilcox occurred September 13, 1916. 
He was a useful and public-spirited citi- 
zen, domestic in his tastes and admirable 
in all the relations of life. 

(Ill) Robert Mead Wilcox, only child 
of Willis H. and Susan C. (Mead) Wil- 
cox, was born October 9, 1873, m Rivers- 
ville, Connecticut. He received his edu- 
cation in the public schools of his native 
town and at the Greenwich Academy. 
He then entered the service of the Fourth 
National Bank, of New York City, be- 
ginning as a messenger, but not remain- 
ing long in that humble position, as those 
who knew him were sure he would not. 
He was then seventeen years old, and as 
time went on he advanced steadily step 
by step, serving practically in every de- 
partment of the bank until August 3, 
1907, when he associated himself with the 
Greenwich National Bank in the capacity 
of assistant cashier. The following year 
he became cashier, and in January, 1917, 
was made vice-president of the institu- 
tion, an office which he still retains in 
conjunction with his former position of 
cashier. At the time of his election as 
vice-president he became a member of the 
board of directors. In the political life of 
his community, Mr. Wilcox has never 
taken an active part, but has always man- 
ifested a helpful interest in whatever he 
deemed calculated to advance the gen- 
eral welfare. He belongs to Lombard 
Camp, Sons of Veterans, and affiliates 
with the Benevolent and Protective Or- 
der of Elks. He is a member of the 
Second Congregational Church, in which 
he holds the office of treasurer. 

Mr. Wilcox married, November 20, 



270 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



1901, Tillie A. Mead, daughter of the late 
Alexander Mead, whose biography fol- 
lows this. 

The career of Robert Mead Wilcox has 
been that of an honorable financier and an 
upright citizen. Surely such a record as 
this is independent of comment. 



MEAD, Alexander, 

Leader in Floriculture. 

No resident of Greenwich needs to be 
told that this was for many years the 
name of one of her most successful busi- 
ness men and respected citizens. Mr. 
Mead was a representative of an ancient 
and honorable family which traces its 
descent from John Mead, one of two 
brothers who came from England about 
1642. The escutcheon of the family is 
as follows : 

Arms — Sable, a chevron between three pelicans 
or, vulned gules. 

Alexander Mead was born May 27, 
1835, in Greenwich, Connecticut. He was 
educated in public schools and at the 
Greenwich Academy. All his life he lived 
on the farm on which he had been reared 
and which he inherited from his father. 
He early showed a strong interest in the 
cultivation of flowers, and established in 
a small way a florist's business, having 
one greenhouse. From its inception the 
venture was successful and the business 
steadily increased. As time went on Mr. 
Mead became one of the leading florists 
of the State, and for many years carried 
on a wholesale as well as a retail busi- 
ness. The growth of Greenwich, in more 
recent years, developed a demand which 
consumed his entire stock of plants and 
flowers. About ten years before his death 
he retired, bequeathing to his son a flour- 
ishing business, with fifteen greenhouses, 
one hundred by twenty-three feet in di- 
mensions. 



Mr. Mead married Matilda Grigg, 
daughter of John Grigg, of Greenwich, 
and they became the parents of a son 
and a daughter : Henry Sanford, who has 
succeeded his father in the business ; and 
Tillie A., who became the wife of Robert 
Mead Wilcox (see Wilcox III). 

The death of Mr. Mead occurred Octo- 
ber 12, 1918. Thrifty, industrious and 
fair-minded in all his dealings, he was 
devoted to his family and to the many and 
exacting responsibilities of his calling. 
He has left a record worthy of the stock 
from which he sprang, and one in which 
his descendants may well take a worthy 
and justifiable pride. 



BOGARDUS, Frank W., 

Lumber Dealer, Man of Public Spirit. 

From the earliest records of the immi- 
grant settlers who came to this country, 
leaving behind them all the traditions in 
which they had been nurtured, the aim 
and ambition of our forefathers has been 
to establish in the New World a complete 
nation in which each citizen should be a 
king in his own right. This propaganda 
of individual supremacy in private affairs 
has in turn become our tradition, and has 
made us what we are, a nation of men. 
The development of the typically Amer- 
ican city of Stamford, Connecticut, has 
been along these lines, and she stands 
today among the most progressive com- 
munities of the State and Nation. This 
result, so far as Stamford is concerned, 
has been brought about from year to year, 
period to period, down to the present, by 
the diverse yet united efforts of its many 
sterling citizens. Among these is to be 
counted Frank W. Bogardus, who for a 
number of years has been prominently 
identified with the life of the city. Mr. 
Bogardus is a member of a family of 
Dutch origin, which came to America 



271 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



early in the history of the Colony of New 
Amsterdam, the name being one of the 
most prominent in the affairs of the 
youthful settlement. 

The surname Bogardus is derived from 
the Dutch "boomgard," an orchard, sig- 
nifying one who possessed an orchard of 
particular account or who kept an 
orchard. 

(I) The family of Bogardus was 
founded in the New World by Everardus 
Bogardus, universally known as Dominie 
Bogardus, a native of Holland, who sailed 
from that country on the Dutch frigate 
"Zoutberg" in the year 1633, in company 
with the newly appointed governor, 
major-general, director-general, provost 
marshal, and Burgomaster Wouter Van 
Twiller, for what was known as Fort Am- 
sterdam, founded thirteen years before. 
For many years it was thought that he 
was the first minister in the Colony until 
the discovery of Michaelius's letter in 
1858, when it was found that the dominie 
was preceded by the author of that docu- 
ment. His first church, on the present 
north side of Pearl street, between 
Whitehall and Broad, was not at all to 
his liking. He persuaded Governor Van 
Twiller to have a new church built within 
the walls of the fort. Later he obtained 
a parsonage, on the front door of which 
he placed a brass knocker he had brought 
from Holland. It has been said that "the 
outside of his house was the delight of the 
passer-by, while inside he dispensed a 
cordial hospitality." In 1633 he became 
the proprietor of a tobacco plantation on 
Manhattan Island. About a year after 
the arrival of Van Twiller and Bogardus 
a bitter dissension arose between them. 
In the early days of the settlement, when 
there were few educated men there, it was 
one of the "unwritten laws" that the cler- 
gyman should join with the council in 
conference. The leaders in the church 



were in accord with the dominie in this 
matter, but Van Twiller, who was of a 
disputatious mind, sought to curtail the 
privilege. Dominie Bogardus, seeing that 
unprofitable strife would surely develop, 
in 1647 sought and received permission to 
visit his native land. He sailed in the 
brig "Princess," which went down with 
eighty other passengers. 

He married, as is found in an old vol- 
ume dated 1638, the widow, Anneke Web- 
ber Jansen, or Anneke Jans, as she was 
familiarly known. She was the daughter 
of Tryntje Jans, or Tryn Jonas, a pro- 
fessional midwife in the employ of the 
West India Company, for their Colony 
of New Amsterdam. The trained nurse 
of that day was an important factor in 
the community. Her work corresponded 
to that of the trained nurse of the present 
day, only it must be remembered that the 
general level of education and intelligence 
was not nearly so high as it is now. Even 
in that early day the widwife had to be 
examined by a board of physicians before 
she could receive a license. Her pay was 
small and her labors arduous. She mar- 
ried Roeloff Jansen Van Masterlandt. 
With his wife and child he came in 1630 
as farmer to the Patroon Kilaen Van 
Rensselaer at a salary equivalent to sev- 
enty-two dollars a year. Five or six years 
later he was settled among the dignitaries 
of the colony, having received from Gov- 
ernor Van Twiller a patent for sixty-two 
acres of land. It is this farm about which 
there has been an historic controversy. 
The farm "extended from a line a little 
south of the present Warren street, north- 
westerly about a mile and a half, to what 
is now Christopher street, forming an 
irregular triangle having its base on the 
river, running, however, on Broadway 
only from Warren to Duane street." 

After the death of her second husband, 
Anneke Jans Bogardus had the grant 



272 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



confirmed to herself. Her heirs, upon the 
subsequent capture of the province by the 
British, had the grant confirmed to them- 
selves by the first British Governor, Hon. 
Richard Nicholes, and sold it in 1671 to 
Governor Lovelace. One of the heirs 
failed to sign the conveyance, and this 
fact caused the controversy, his descend- 
ants claiming an interest in the property, 
which finally passed into the possession 
of Trinity Church. 

(II) Cornelis Bogardus, son of Ever- 
ardus and Anneke (Jans) Bogardus. was 
born September 9, 1640. As a young man 
he moved to Albany, New York, and re- 
mained in that city until his death in 1666. 
His "boedel," a personal estate, amounted 
to 2,015 guilders, a large sum for the 
times. He married Helena Teller, daugh- 
ter of William Teller, of Albany. Their 
descendants were those who first laid 
claim to the Trinity Church property. 

(III) Cornelis (2) Bogardus, son of 
Cornelis (1) and Helena (Teller) Bogar- 
dus, was born in Beverwyck or Fort Or- 
ange (Albany), New York, October 13, 
1665. Following his mother's second 
marriage to Jans Hendrickse Van Ball, 
Cornelis (2) Bogardus went to live with 
his uncles, Pieter and Jonas Bogardus, 
children of Dominie Everardus and An- 
neke (Jans) Bogardus. When, several 
years later, Pieter Bogardus moved to 
Kingston, New York, Cornelis (2) Bo- 
gardus accompanied him, and there mar- 
ried Rachel De Witt in 1691. She was a 
daughter of Tjerck Classen, son of 
Nicholas and Taatje De Witt, whose 
home in the Netherlands was in Groot- 
holdt, district of Zunderland, in the south- 
ern part of East Friesland. Tjerck 
Classen De Witt came to America some 
time prior to the year 1656, and is the 
ancestor of the De Witt family in the 
United States. De Witt is one of the 
few Dutch-American names illustrious in 



the Fatherland. Grand Pensioner Jo- 
hannes De Witt administered the govern- 
ment of Holland from 1652 to 1672. He 
and his brother, Cornelis De Witt, also 
prominent in civil and military life in the 
Netherlands, were killed by a mob at The 
Hague, following years of faithful service 
to their country. Tjerck Classen De Witt 
was their kinsman, and a descendant of 
his, Maria De Witt, married Captain 
James Clinton, who afterwards became a 
general in the American Revolution, and 
their son, De Witt Clinton, was one of 
the most prominent, energetic and be- 
loved governors of New York State. 

Cornelis (2) Bogardus was the owner 
of a vessel which he employed in the car- 
rying trade along the Hudson river from 
New York to Albany, and possibly to 
more distant points along the coast. In 
1700 he returned to Albany, his birth- 
place, remaining there for a few years. 
He was made a "freeman" of that city, 
and became prominent in its affairs. 
Later on he accompanied Captain Nicho- 
las Evertsen on a raid in the Colonial 
service against a band of French priva- 
teers off the coast. This occurred in 1704. 
He died in the spring of 1718, in King- 
ston, New York. Cornelis (2) and 
Rachel (De Witt) Bogardus were the 
parents of eight children. 

(IV) Cornelis (3) Bogardus, son of 
Cornelis (2) and Rachel (De Witt) Bo- 
gardus, was born in Kingston, New York, 
January 8, 1699, died February 12, 1758. 
He married Catharine Tudor (in Dutch, 
Toeter), daughter of Captain John Tu- 
dor. Shortly after his marriage he moved 
down the Hudson and settled in Fishkill, 
Dutchess county, New York, on land sit- 
uated in the "Rombout Precinct," or 
Patent, the vast estate of 85,000 acres 
belonging to his aunt, "Madame Brett" 
(Catherine Rombout). He had received 
an unusually fine education for those 



Conn— 8— 18 



273 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



times, which permitted him to assume a 
position of prominence in the growing 
colony on the east shore of the Hudson, 
and also enabled him to be of great serv- 
ice to Madame Brett, who had become a 
widow and possessed of a family depend- 
ent upon her guidance. It is likely that 
Madame Brett may have urged him to 
settle in Fishkill, realizing that he was a 
man who would be influential in wisely 
conducting her large affairs in the Pre- 
cinct, and upon whom she could safely 
depend. The records testify that he was 
a surveyor in Fishkill, and it is known 
that he became a man of property, build- 
ing a house in the town, where his de- 
scendants have continued to possess the 
land. Cornells (3) and Catharine (Tu- 
dor) Bogardus were the parents of twelve 
children. 

(V) Matthew Bogardus, son of Cor- 
nelis (3) and Catharine (Tudor) Bogar- 
dus, was baptized September 10, 1740. 
He married Abigail Ferguson, and among 
their children was Abraham, of whom 
further. 

(VI) Abraham Bogardus, son of Mat- 
thew and Abigail (Ferguson) Bogardus, 
was born January 28, 1771. He married, 
and one of his sons was Samuel, of whom 
further. 

(VII) Samuel Bogardus, son of Abra- 
ham Bogardus, was born January 16, 
1806, and made his home at what is now 
the town of Beacon, New York. He was 
a man of unusual ability and prospered 
greatly in his affairs, holding nearly all 
of the offices in the gift of the township. 
He engaged in business as a contractor 
and builder on a very large scale for the 
time, and in due course became a large 
and wealthy land owner. Nearly the 
whole of Spy Hill, famous in Revolution- 
ary annals, was at one time in his posses- 
sion. He was also one of the founders of 
the Reformed Dutch church at Fishkill- 



on-the-Hudson, built the old church edi- 
fice, and held a life pew there. Among 
the various offices that he filled was that 
of deputy sheriff, and it was to him, dur- 
ing his long term of office, that the duty of 
protecting the New York Central rail- 
road at the time of the draft riots in the 
Civil War fell. Among his children was 
John S., of whom further. 

(VIII) John S. Bogardus, son of Sam- 
uel Bogardus, was born December 27, 
1828, and died June 14, 1903. His child- 
hood was passed at Fishkill-on-the-Hud- 
son, New York, and it was in the schools 
of the neighborhood that his education 
was obtained. Upon completing his stud- 
ies he was taken by his father into the 
latter's establishment and there learned 
the building and contracting business. 
After serving for a time in various minor 
capacities, he was appointed superinten- 
dent and general manager, and for a num- 
ber of years was in active charge of the 
large building operations carried on by 
the concern. He later repaired to New 
York City to take up the study of archi- 
tecture, and in course of time became a 
member of the American Institute of 
Architects. He then established himself 
in the city of Newburgh, New York, and 
there for a number of years practiced his 
profession and won a wide reputation. 
From Newburgh he returned to New 
York City and built up an extensive prac- 
tice in that place and Yonkers, from 
which place he went to Stamford, Con- 
necticut, in the year 1881. From that 
time until his death, Mr. Bogardus con- 
tinued his practice of architecture in this 
city, adding greatly to his reputation, and 
many of the finest buildings of Stamford 
were erected from his designs, namely, 
a number of schools, and many of the 
handsomest residences here and in the 
outlying districts, as well as several im- 
portant business blocks. 



274 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



John S. Bogardus married Kate Schutt, 
of Fishkill-on-the-Hudson, by whom he 
had a number of children. Three of these 
grew to maturity, as follows : Frank Wal- 
cott, of whom further; J. Howard, a 
sketch of whom follows ; Clarence Elmer, 
a sketch of whom follows. 

(IX) Frank Walcott Bogardus, son of 
John S. and Kate (Schutt) Bogardus, 
was born September 23, 1867, i n Mattea- 
wan, Dutchess county, New York. He 
inherited the great practical ability of his 
father, and has gained a position of promi- 
nence in the business world of Stamford, 
Connecticut, to which place he removed 
with his parents at the age of fourteen. 
He began his education in the public 
schools of his native town, but when 
twelve years of age went to Yonkers and 
there attended the high school, graduat- 
ing in 1881. He felt a strong attraction 
to a business career as a youth, and suc- 
ceeded in persuading his parents to allow 
him to forego the higher education they 
had proposed for him. When his parents 
came to Stamford he eagerly commenced 
his business life by securing a position in 
the employ of St. John, Hoyt & Company, 
a well known firm of lumber dealers. His 
employers, recognizing the earnestness of 
the young man, his intelligence and indus- 
try, soon advanced him to the position of 
bookkeeper, and somewhat later he be- 
came cashier. Mr. Bogardus remained 
with the firm for fifteen years and there, 
by constant attention to the details of 
the enterprise, thoroughly learned gen- 
eral business methods and developed 
remarkable executive powers. Of good 
habits and unquenchable ambition for the 
future, Mr. Bogardus denied himself 
many of the luxuries and frivolities which 
make up so large a part of the life of most 
young men, and by dint of devoted and 
indefatigable industry gained a point 
where he could reach out and perma- 



nently better himself. In the year 1888 
the interests of Mr. St. John in the busi- 
ness were purchased by Charles H. Get- 
man, a prominent figure in the lumber 
trade in the region of Oswego, New York, 
from which city he came, at which time 
the name of the firm was changed to 
Hoyt, Getman & Judd, the death of Mr. 
Hoyt removing the last of the original 
members. The name of the firm was 
changed to Getman & Judd. Mr. Bogar- 
dus continued in the employ of the con- 
cern until April, 1897, when he purchased 
an interest in the business and became a 
junior partner, the firm name being 
changed to Getman, Judd & Company, 
and on September 15, 1900, the business 
was incorporated under the name of The 
Getman & Judd Company, of which com- 
pany he was elected secretary and treas- 
urer, holding those offices at the present 
time. From that time to the present he has 
taken an ever-increasing share in the man- 
agement of the enterprise, and has been 
for a number of years a significant factor 
in the business life of the community. In 
addition to his business activities, Mr. 
Bogardus is prominent in club and social 
circles of Stamford ; is a member of the 
Board of Governors ; was at one time 
president of the Suburban Club, and is a 
member of the Stamford Yacht Club of 
the city. He is also a director of the 
First-Stamford National Bank, the Morris 
Plan Bank, the King School, Inc., and of 
the St. John Wood Working Company. 
In religious belief he and his family are 
Episcopalians and attend St. Andrew's 
Church of that denomination in Stamford. 
He has taken an active part in the affairs 
of the parish and holds the office of ves- 
tryman. 

Frank W. Bogardus married, January 
5, 1893, Eloise A. Waterbury, a daughter 
of Samuel C. Waterbury, and a descend- 
ant of one of the founders of the city. 



275 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



They are the parents of two sons : Frank 
Walcott, Jr., born September i, 1904, and 
John Cornelius, born July 28, 1908. 

Mr. Bogardus is one of those genial, 
whole-souled men for whom everyone in- 
stinctively feels the warmest friendship, 
a friendship that is confirmed and made 
permanent by the sterling qualities of 
loyalty and sincerity which he consis- 
tently displays. He is a man of public 
spirit, and is always to be found in the 
forefront of all movements for public im- 
provement which make for the true prog- 
ress and betterment of the community. 
He has served the city as a member of 
the Board of Appropriation and Appor- 
tionment, in which capacity his knowl- 
edge of practical affairs has been of the 
greatest service. On September 15, 1900, 
the Connecticut Lumber Dealers' Asso- 
ciation was incorporated, of which organ- 
ization he was at one time president. 



BOGARDUS, J. Howard, 

Financier, Public-Spirited Citizen. 

J. Howard Bogardus, banker, was born 
in Fishkill-on-the-Hudson, April 8, 1874, 
son of John S. and Kate (Schutt) Bogar- 
dus (q. v.). The genealogy of the Bo- 
gardus family appears in the preceding 
sketch. 

The early education of J. Howard Bo- 
gardus was obtained under his mother's 
tuition, and after attending the Stamford 
High School he completed a course in 
Merrill's Business College. His active 
business life began as a clerk in the Stam- 
ford Savings Bank. Ambitious to suc- 
ceed, and conscientious in the perform- 
ance of his duty, he made the most 
of every opportunity to broaden and 
strengthen his knowledge of banking, not 
only by close attention to the transactions 
that came daily within his vision, but by 
much reading and study. When the posi- 



tion of secretary and treasurer of the bank 
became vacant, Mr. Bogardus was found 
well equipped to meet the responsibilities 
of the position, to which he was elected in 
July, 191 1, and which he has ever since 
filled. He is a member of the board of 
directors of the bank, a member of the 
Savings Bank Association of Connecticut, 
and his ambitions are so well esteemed by 
his business associates that for several 
years he has served as a member of the 
association's executive committee, and for 
one year as its chairman. Mr. Bogardus 
is a member of the Henry J. Evans Pro- 
tective Committee of the Chicago & East- 
ern Illinois Railroad. 

Mr. Bogardus is a member of the Sub- 
urban Club, and was for years a member 
of the Young Men's Christian Associa- 
tion, of Stamford. For some years in its 
early days he was a member of the Stam- 
ford Yacht Club and one of its nominat- 
ing committee. In more recent years he 
has found his greatest pleasure and relax- 
ation within the family circle. It is sel- 
dom that bankers take an active part in 
politics, and Mr. Bogardus is not an ex- 
ception to this rule, although he neglects 
no opportunity to fulfill every repsonsi- 
bility that devolves upon the patriotic and 
public-spirited citizen. During the World 
War he served as a member of the Lib- 
erty Loan Committee on every "drive" in 
Stamford. He was treasurer for two 
years of the Stamford Children's Home, 
and during that time was a member of its 
board of trustees. Mr. Bogardus is a mem- 
ber of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, of 
which he has been a vestryman for many 
years, was treasurer of the church, and at 
the present time treasurer of the Sunday 
school. Mrs. Bogardus is a member of 
St. John's Episcopal Church. 

Mr. Bogardus married, February 15, 
1908, Kate Noble, daughter of James and 



276 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Anna Elizabeth (Daniel) Noble. They 
are the parents of one child, Catherine, 
born December 14, 191 1. 

(The Noble Line). 

The Noble family of which Mrs. Bo- 
gardus is a member is the largest of the 
name in the United States, and it was 
founded by Thomas Noble, who was born 
about 1632, probably in England, and died 
in Westfield, Massachusetts, January 20, 
1704. His exact origin and early history 
are involved in obscurity, but he was in 
America, without doubt, in 1653. He was 
admitted an inhabitant of Boston, Janu- 
ary 5, 1653 (Drake's "History of Boston," 
P a g e 33 1 ), an d in the same year moved to 
Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1664, in 
connection with several of his townsmen, 
he was granted liberty to erect a saw mill 
on the west side of the Connecticut. He 
was constable of Westfield in 1674, and 
county surveyor in 1696. The needs of a 
large family and financial difficulties trou- 
bled him in his earlier years, but in later 
life he became prosperous and a well re- 
garded member of the community. He 
married, November 1, 1660, Hannah War- 
riner, born in Springfield, Massachusetts, 
August 17, 1643, on ly daughter of Wil- 
liam and Joanna (Scant) Warriner. Their 
children were: John, Hannah, Thomas, 
Matthew, of whom further ; Mark, Eliza- 
beth, Luke, James, Mary, Rebecca. 

(II) Matthew Noble, son of Thomas 
and Hannah (Warriner) Noble, was born 
about 1668, and died about 1744. He put 
himself under the watch of Westfield 
Church, August 19, 1694, and with his 
wife joined same, November 3, 1728, 
after their removal to Sheffield. He died 
intestate. He married, December 10, 
1690, Hannah Dewey, born February 21, 
1672, daughter of Thomas and Constant 
(Hawes) Dewey. Children: Joseph, of 
whom further ; Hezekiah, Matthew, Solo- 



mon, Elisha, Obadiah, Hannah, Hester, 
Rhoda and Rhoda (2). 

(III) Joseph Noble, son of Matthew 
and Hannah (Dewey) Noble, was born 
in Westfield, Massachusetts, October 8, 
1691, and died in Great Barrington, Mas- 
sachusetts, February 12, 1758. He moved 
to that part of Sheffield that is now Great 
Barrington as early as 1727, and was 
one of the building committee appointed 
March 8, 1742, in charge of the construc- 
tion of the first meeting house in Great 
Barrington. He joined the Great Bar- 
rington Congregational Church, March 3, 
1745. He died intestate, and administra- 
tion on his estate was granted to his eld- 
est son, Joseph, the widow declining the 
trust, March 24, 1758. Joseph Noble mar- 
ried Abigail Dewey, born November 17, 
1694. Children: Joseph (2), of whom 
further; Eli, Preserved, Mary, Margaret, 
Abigail, and Lydia. 

(IV) Joseph (2) Noble, son of Joseph 
(1) and Abigail (Dewey) Noble, was 
born in Westfield, Massachusetts, Sep- 
tember 22, 1718, and died in Sheffield, 
Massachusetts, March 10, 1771. He re- 
sided in Sheffield, and died at the home of 
his son Roger. The monument erected 
over his remains in the Noble family 
graveyard in Sheffield bears this inscrip- 
tion : "In memory of the body of Mr. 
Joseph Noble who died March the 10, 
1 77 1, in the 53d year of his age." He 
married Thankful Dodd, and their chil- 
dren were : Rhoda, James, Roger, of 
whom further ; Cornelius, Submit, Si- 
lence, Ann, Stephen, and Cornelius (2). 

(V) Roger Noble, son of Joseph (2) 
and Thankful (Dodd) Noble, was born in 
Sheffield, Massachusetts, April 2, 1742, 
and died in Pownal, Vermont, September 
15, 1810. During one of the French and 
Indian wars, his father having been 
drafted to march from Sheffield to the 



277 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY 



Canadian line, Roger volunteered to go in 
his place. The march was attended by 
great suffering on the part of the troops, 
and Roger Noble was accustomed to 
mend the shoes of the soldiers, many of 
whom walked with bare feet exposed to 
the frozen ground. Given leave from this 
expedition to visit friends, he started for 
home in the company of six white men 
and two friendly Indians. Early in the 
journey the Indians stole all of the pro- 
visions and fled, and Roger Noble and his 
associates endured great hardship before 
they reached a habitation. In the Revolu- 
tion he was in the battle of Bunker Hill, 
and afterwards used to say that as he 
heard the bullets whistling over his head 
he felt some fear, which soon vanished. 
He served during most of the war, and 
was known as a man of courage. He 
marched in Lieutenant J. Hickock's com- 
pany and Colonel John Ashley's regiment 
to Kingsbury, and was out twenty-two 
days. His trade was that of shoemaker, 
but he left that calling for mercantile 
dealings, in which he engaged first in 
Sheffield, Massachusetts, and afterwards 
in Hudson, New York. He also owned 
at Great Barrington a store in partnership 
with Captain Bacon. This was supposed 
to have been burned by Shay's men, and 
Rose and Bly, just before their execution, 
confessed that they had plundered and 
burned it. Roger Noble moved, about 
1 791, to Hudson, New York, and thence, 
1794. to Pownal, Vermont. He married, 
about 1772, Olive Hunt, born June 4, 
1753, daughter of Daniel Hunt; she died 
September 9, 1815. Children: Ormon, 
James. Olive, Erastus, of
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